Life is complicated.

I was going to write a very funny post today but I took Dorothy Barker to the vet for her annual shots and she had a very severe allergic reaction to one of them and the vet has been observing her for several hours now and thinks she’ll probably be okay but I’m a mess so I’m not funny.

Also, I spent most of the morning watching my kid have an ultrasound because apparently fucked up stomachs run in our family and the ultrasound tech spent an inordinately long time photographing her gallbladder and since mine and Victor’s both tried to kill us I suspect this does not bode well.

Long story short, I need a distraction so please tell me about a celebrity encounter.

I’ll start: One time I got lost in a parking garage with Dan Rather. He was very nice. It’s not a great story. Sorry. My head’s weird.

UPDATED X 3: The vet gave Dorothy Barker a giant hump on her back because they pumped her up with a lady lump of fluids and meds and now she’s like a quasi-Quasimodo if Quasimodo was a dog. She’s feeling much better though and they didn’t even charge me to hump my dog, which is a sentence I never thought I’d have to write. Thank you for the well-wishes. Fingers crossed this is the last time I have to edit this.

I saw Lorde in concert in Portland a few years back, and that guy who plays the main character in Grimm (the tv series) was there and took photos with people after the show. I’ve still never watched Grimm…

I once saw Johnathan Pryce early morning at a cafe looking a little worse for wear with two people who insisted on talking loudly about where they were sitting with Johnathan Pryce. I felt sorry for him so did not bother him to tell him I loved him in Brazil.

I also once saw Willem Dafoe muttering to himself in the pasta aisle in Gourmet Garage. I thought about how I would feel if someone caught me muttering to myself in the pasta aisle, so I also did not say anything to him.

My work once brought in some famous basketball players (couldn’t tell you who). Everyone was fawning over them by my desk, so I asked the basketball player nearest to me to move so that I could get some work done.

Katie Couric was using the same bathroom as me at work, and she said to me, “You work here? It must be amazing!” While washing my hands I said, “It’s funny. The magic wears off.” I don’t think she was expecting that.

I got to meet Mark Gatiss at last summer’s Sherlocked! convention. I was dressed as Mycroft and he complimented my costume. I also gave him a bottle of my homemade mead which I’d labeled “The East Wind”. He voiced his appreciation that someone thought to bring some wine 🙂

When I was doing field work in college, up near Las Vegas, NM, we were standing near a gate to a pasture observing the (“sexy”) geology when a truck pulled up. It was a dirty, sweaty, smoking cowboy who was wondering WTH we were doing with a cargo van pulled up to his gate. As he got out of the truck he spat on his cigarette to put it out before dropping it on the ground. Eventually he got close enough for all of us to realize it was Patrick Swayze. Apparently, someone had been stealing cattle from his ranch and so when he saw a crew of rough looking geologists he was pretty sure we were up to no good. Ha! He hung out with us for quite a while!

I met Ed Greenwood at GenCon one year. We exchanged hellos. That was it.
A few years later I saw Wil Wheaton at a bar, while at GenCon. He looked busy, so I didn’t say anything and just finished my burger.
Those are my two sole celebrity stories.

I grew up in Orange County, California… so there were known or minor celebrities about regularly enough that it didn’t usually move me. But one year in college I was in line to go to San Diego Comicon and I saw one of my FAVORITE artists/musicians/briliantness outside smoking a cigarette. I meekly walk up and ask him…”Hi, are you Voltaire?” He smile and said he was. I told him I was a huge fan and had been listening to his music since I was in high school. He was super sweet and took a selfie with me for my Myspace with my disposable camera. I lost the camera (because of course I did) but I will never forget how kind he was to me even while I was shy fan girling all over his jacket. And yes, Fan Girling is now a verb.

I met Tim Curry once. I was a teenager and he was doing a show on Broadway my grandparents took me to. He was very nice and not at all weird so it was a little disappointing but still kind of exciting.

I saw Spike Lee in a Chick-fil-a in midtown Atlanta and my husband and I were debating whether to approach him and his entourage. Other people seemed to try and they weren’t having it. I was like, “no, we shouldn’t. He’s a Chick-fil-a. Let him enjoy his chicken.” I got approving nods from bystanders. It was a good day.

I once passed by Keanu Reeves but didn’t realize it until my companion VERY LOUDLY WHISPERED (oxymoron?) to me who he was… which I am sure he heard… which I am sure mortified us both.

Oh, and once I was at a food mart, talking over my shoulder to a friend about what we were going to get for lunch, and slammed, full body, into a Very Tall Tim Robbins (seriously – dude is TALL) (like, my nose hit his mid-chest, and I am an average-to-slightly-tall woman).

I saw Courtney Cox (then, Cox Arquette) at a bar in Ann Arbor, in 2011-ish. One of my friends thought she wasn’t her, and she was like “leave the poor girl alone, she probably gets mistaken for her all the time” … until we saw others going over to her too. We approached her and she took pics with us, though didn’t say much.

I think she was in town shooting the new Scream movie, also. I’m a HUGE Friends fan so that was pretty exciting.

One day when I was in high school I’d stayed late because of a club thing, so I was walking down the hallway and was stopped by a guy who asked me how to find the library. I gave him directions and moved on, then heard someone else walking behind me stop the guy with a squeal of, “OH MY GOD YOU’RE DONNY OSMOND!”

I met Anderson Cooper at my workplace and he was really just like this nice guy with super blue eyes and a really expensive haircut. But, seriously, like totally just this dude who loves his mom and texted her a photo of some stuff I was showing him about an interview she gave way, way back in the day.

Chuck Norris came to my middle school and I got a picture hugging him. He was shorter than me, and left orange makeup all over my shoulder. Chuck Norris jokes got a LOT funnier once I pictured everyone saying all that bad*ss stuff about a little old man in orange cake makeup.

One time my husband took me to Las Vegas and we saw Siegfried and Roy. They happen to mention that Sir Anthony Hopkins was in the audience. I was a huge fan and tried to find him as thousands of people are exiting the arena I’m searching frantically. Later that night I was talking smack about how it’s just as well I didn’t run into Anthony Hopkins because then I would just have to leave my husband behind Etc. My husband said, yeah, put your money where your mouth is he’s right there on the slot machine. I ran over to him and essentially hug-raped him.Also, There may or may not have been an instance where I yelled at a bunch of Japanese tourists to get in line. 🙄 Life is complicated.

Once upon a time I worked for QVC. Richard Simmons was a frequent guest. He once chased a co-worker around the parking lot trying to take her hotdog away from her telling her she’d regret eating it. As far as my best encounter there, I was 18 and Joan Rivers told me I was fabulous.

Not my story, but my brother works in a building that is also a recording studio. Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters sat down at joined his table for lunch in the cafeteria. Apparently he’s a really cool guy.

When I worked for a car rental agency I was told no more private flights were coming in, so I closed and went home around midnight. George Carlin arrived an hour later and couldn’t get his car. Other than seeing Gregory Hines at a distance, that’s the closest to an encounter I’ve had.

Christopher more cowbell Walken yelled at me. He was mad at the place I work at.
My husband (when we were dating) knocked Demi Moore flat on her arse as he was entering a tiny cafe and she was leaving. She’s so small he was looking right over top of her.

I used to work in retail and Drew Barrymore came in to my store. I treated her like anyone else, asked if she needed help with anything, she looked at me funny. She said “No, thank you, just looking.” I walked away and then she cackled really loudly. Not two minutes later, she walked up to me and asked where the restroom was, I told her, but she didn’t go. It was odd but delightful.

One time I was in a coffee shop and all of a sudden everyone was silent. I looked at the person standing next to me and it was Val Kilmer. (This was young A List Val) Honestly have never experienced that kind of charisma since. It was breathtaking. I think everyone just lost their power of speech for a moment.

David Hewlett used to live in the same town as me (for filming purposes) and I’d make him and Jane lattes, or get them ice cream. He was really down to earth, and I treated him like he was any other customer, which I think he appreciated. His wife knew I knew who he was, but I never said anything to him.

I don’t remember ever meeting any actual celebrities because my life is supremely boring, and I’ve always been disappointed about that. The closest I came was meeting Gail Gand, who used to have a show on Food Network. She had a restaurant with the Hearty Boys (who ALSO used to have a show on Food Network). I was eating in their restaurant and she was standing near the back talking to an employee. I had to ask where the bathroom was, and she told me. I was pregnant at the time and made a joke about how locating the bathroom was a big priority for me in my current condition, and she laughed. The end. [cue sad trombone]

hugs! Hoping that everything works out. (I’m also in the homicidal gallbladder club.) Only celebrity encounter I’ve had is seeing Flavor Flav after a Public Enemy/Anthrax concert in the 90s. Went to high-five him and missed.

I spent 5 weeks doing wardrobe for a regional theatre in Virginia and I got to hide behind a piece of patriotically flag painted scenery and strip Dick Van Patton down to his boxers every night for a bit in a variety revue type show. Such a nice man.

Many times when we scan a gall bladder, we actually scan an entire right upper quadrant exam. So images of pancreas, liver, gall bladder, common bile duct and right kidney. So may not have been an extraordinary amount of pics of her gall bladder! Hope all is well with everyone and every pup. ❤ Ultrasound tech fan.

Do baseball players count? I’ve met several of my heroes from the Dodgers. Tommy Davis, from the 1963 & 1965 championship teams was very nice to mw. He signed baseballs & pictures for me & my Dad. He was wearing his 1963 World Series ring. I asked if I could get a look at it & he actually took the ring off and handed it to me. I almost died. And wondered if I could get out of there with it before security could tackle me. 🤔

Once I stood in line for a movie behind Tia, Tamera, and Taj Mowry. I didn’t actually realize who they were, but my mom was the HUGEST fan of all three of them and their shows, so she elbowed me very hard in my very bad sunburn to tell me I was missing out.

This is a sports-ball thing. I am a rabid UNC Tar Heels basketball fan. At my favorite local indie bookstore, over a decade ago, Coach Dean Smith was there for a signing. Without thinking, I flung all my team gear onto my body and drove over there. Luckily, I was the only one there at that time. I bibbled at him like an idiot while he graciously smiled and shook his head as if to say, “What did I ever do to deserve this?” At one point, he looked at his wrangler and said, “She’s . . . certainly vivacious.” (I think it was a plea for help or a pre-arranged signal or something.) Though the bookshop had made it clear that he didn’t personalize his autographs, he asked me my name, signed his book to me, and shook my hand. I will never forget it. It was one of the best moments of my life.

My mom used to be Ronald Reagan’s tailor. Except she didn’t know it was for him. And we, her children, didn’t find out until he died and Nancy Reagan called my sister. Who definitely thought this was a joke. It wasn’t. The funniest part is that my mom never had anything good to say about Ronald Reagan. And she was hemming his suits.

One time I was in an elevator after running at the hotel gym and Fred Lehne was on his way down to the Supernatural convention. I awkwardly told him how great of an actor I was and shook his hand while I was all sweaty. He complimented me on my dedication to the gym. Sweated all over Fred Lehne!

My group of friends and I ran into Jon St.John (Duke Nukem) in the dealer’s room at Magfest this year. He is ridiculously sweet, and an absolute laugh riot.We got some great pictures while he harassed us for being shy about asking.

Ok. I went to school with one of Paul hogans sons. We had the same roll call room. Standing there waiting to go in and the son walks over, and goes. ‘ know who I am’.. winks and looks all smug. I just laugh and go ‘ yeah, we’ve been in the same roll call class for 4 months”. He just stammered and walked off.

I worked a USO event and met a few celebrities, most notably Joe Nichols, the country singer, who warmed up in the staff dining area and, who, when I needed to stop him from leaving the staging area before the big intro, put his hand on my waist, leaned down and said, ‘Sorry darlin’, I couldn’t hear you” I swooned. He took photos with anyone who asked and seemed like a genuinely kind person!

I worked as a nanny in England and the kids I cared for went to school with Paula Yates’ and Bob Geldof’s kids. I remember thinking it was cool because Paula was a host on the morning tv news show I watched. Of course, Paula left Bob for Michael Hutchence, and he died, and Paula died of an overdose, and then her daughter Peaches, one of those sweet kids I used to see at the school died of an overdose, leaving behind a new baby. All of this makes me feel very sad and also very old. Now I need somebody to distract me. I’m sorry.

One time I saw Robert Eglund (aka Freddy Krueger) in an airport and accidentally stalked him for a while because apparently, our flights were leaving from neighboring gates. I was texting my best friend the whole time, fangirling like a moron and he kept watching me like I was a crazy person.

Also, once I almost walked right into Patrick Swayze at a horse show. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life

Both times I was way too star-struck and nervous and introverted to say anything to them.

I’m from Ventura, California and I saw John C. Reilly at our local pier resturant. I adore him and wanted to say hi, but he looked angry with the cashier and was dressed so poorly I would have mistaken him for a homeless person, if i didn’t know better (we have A LOT of homeless people here with the fair weather and great resources for the homeless). So, I chickened out because most comedians already seem a little angry to me and I don’t wanna mess with a man that will be bitch to the “Shake and Bake” NASCAR move.

I was in a nice hotel that had a locker room attached to the workout area and pool. I was coming back from the outside pool, carrying a copy of InStyle with Kate Hudson on the cover. When I came into the locker room, Kate Hudson was standing naked at a locker looking like she hoped I didn’t recognize her. I thought about asking her to sign my magazine, but just kept walking instead.

I was at a bar by the beach in Marina Del Rey, CA when I hear this voice say”Is it you that smells so good?” I turned to see Jason Bateman standing there looking at me. Like a dumb ass i responded “I hope so.” He just smelled and walked away with his drinks. (sigh)

Best wishes for your daughter. Health concerns like this are so hard to deal with at times with so many questions and unknown. I certainly hope Dorothy Barker gets past her issue too. My daughter’s weiner (yes dog) had a health scare recently and it was difficult to see her and my ex husband so worried. Pets get to be part of the family and when they hurt, we hurt.

Celebrity encounter…I once met Paulie Shore. Yes he’s a celebrity, sort of. He was very nice and stopped and said hello after I screamed his name in a busy nightclub in Wisconsin. This was before cellphones so no picture opp. Oh well. It’s still remarkable mainly since he’s the only celebrity I’ve ever had an encounter with.
Cheers to you miss! Well wishes all around.

When we were touring the Capitol in Washington, my mom stopped to ask directions to the bathroom. The man she asked turned out to be our senator from Arizona, Dennis Deconcini (which will tell people how old I am…

I was a customer at a restaurant on Kitchen Nightmares. We went on a “BEFORE” night, when the restaurant was very terrible. Gordon Ramsay approached our table, surrounded by cameras and a sound guy, and asked what was up with the tempura battered cheese mushrooms on our table and I just stammered and stammered, then erupted into embarrassed giggles. Cutting. Room. Floor.

The majority of my celebrity encounters have been me thinking “I KNOW that person is famous, but I can’t remember who it is.” No telling how many great stories I missed with my failure to recognize faces most of the time. But I did have dinner next to the wrestling Von Eriks once (they lived nearby). And I got to meet Billy Crystal when I ushered for his show about seven years ago –very nice guy. At least I had advanced warning on that one, so I was sure who he was!

I met Ron Jeremy once at a Sexpo in Minneapolis. He was a douchebag (I really want to say he was a dick, but that seems even more inappropriate than saying I met Ron Jeremy at all, much less at a sexpo where I had one of those ridiculous “romance party” tables in my misspent post-college years.).
Once in LAX I saw Michael Sheen in a head-to-toe tweed suit (including hat). All I could think was “Wow, he’s WAY shorter in real life.” It made me sad…I thought he was a babe until I realized he doesn’t even reach my shoulder. Sigh.

Many, many years ago my sister took her little sister (me) to dinner at a small local airport restaurant. There was much activity on the tarmac so my sister asked the waitress what was going on and it turns out that Paul McCartney and his band Wings were landing in a few minutes. I was too young to understand who Paul McCartney was but my sister was freaking out! Long story short, we were able to go down to the gate and were withing just a few feet from Paul and his wife Linda when they were getting in a limo. Another time in Boston I was in a hotel lobby line with Tony Bennett. Hope your day gets better and good luck with your daughter and dog.

I was front row center at a Seal concert at Beacon and I spent one too many times looking over at Gary Oldman to my left. Seal clubbed me in the head with his mic stand and I didn’t see it coming. Saw stars. Also sat one person away from Paul McCartney at Beacon Theater and my eyes went all cartoon AY OOH GA when I saw him and Nancy sit down. He was very nice to all that approached him. I was too humina humina humina to say anything.

I love Barry Manilow! During his concerts he picks someone from the audience to sing his song “can’t smile without you”. Well he picked me at one of his concerts! It was an amazing experience- even tho I can’t sing a note! When it was all over I they gave me a video tape (it was so long ago) of it. When I am feeling down or depressed I pop it in and watch my younger self habving the time of my life.

Mine isn’t great but here you go: I used to work at an event company that did summer picnics for a schools in a nice area of LA. I saw Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox and Sylvester Stallone during my time there

I once spoke on the phone with Lily Tomlin, who my then- boyfriend met at a lounge in an airport. She was very sweet & told me he was a looker.

I also once met Wynton Marsalis (the jazz musician) backstage because my best friend’s brother was his tour manager. I made an ass out of myself by saying “Stacy used to play the tromomobone” the way that Homer Simpson once said “saxomophone”. He very kindly ignored my idiocy and shook my hand.

Jeez, I hope Hailey and Dorothy are going to be okay Jenny.
I’ve never met an American celebrity.
I’ve met an Australian celebrity though. Her name is Jana Wendt, she interviewed me for our version of 60 minutes when they did a story on the Bali bombings. She is really very nice.

I used to work at a talent agency in Los Angeles and I stood in the elevator with Jeremy Piven on 3 separate occasions. He was not friendly, but on the bright side he never sexually harrassed me so there’s that!

One time i was working as a lift operator (as in a person who presses the buttons even though it was not the 1950s) at a concert. I managed to ask David Campbell (a performer for the show, and now a hugely popular morning show presenter AND Jimmy Barnes son -Jimmy Barnes is ICONIC Aussie Singer), who he was most excited to see. He did not at all seem impressed I didn’t know (or care) who he was. But mate, pressing buttons is a hard job.
It was not, not at all, but standing in a lift for 8 hours and people not realising that is your job is hard.

I went to a signing for Neil Gaiman. The line was really really long. After 7.5 hours, finally got to him and I gushed… About his writing and his humanitarian work and how I’m in awe of the kind of person he was. And after 7.5 hours of signing he was as kind and sincere as a person could be. He stopped signing, talked to me for a moment, then stood up and hugged me. I’m still in awe of the kind of human he is.

I went to Jazzfest in New Orleans with my sister who stays up much later then I do. She insisted on going to ar jazz club and I got so tired of standing, I asked a gentleman sitting out the front door on a bench if I could sit with him. We chatted for a pretty long time. People kept asking him to take a picture and he kept politng declining. I couldn’t figure out why he wouldn’t just take their picture for them. I finally asked him and he explained they weren’t asking him to take their picture-they wanted a picture of him. I asked him if he was famous and he looked at me like I had two heads. You see, I don’t watch a lot of movies and I’d been sitting with Laurence Fishburn!

I’d lived in Los Angeles for a few months when I saw that Wil Wheaton was going to be hosting a show called The Wil Wheaton Project takes a moment to pour one out for the chickens and firemen and that they needed audience members. It was free and a simple bus ride down the street, so of course I signed up. Not to mention I’ve been a fan of Wil’s literally my whole life, fed as I was on a steady diet of Star Trek and particularly TNG because it was my mom’s favourite.

We get into the studio and sit down. They announce there’s a special guest from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D there for a segment. I nerd the hell out and make a happy little gasp that is, apparently, audible. I blush and cover my face with my hands while the audience, crew, and Wil all chuckle at me. And when it’s time for said special guest, Wil tells him how excited I am that he’s there. It’s J August Richards, aka one of my fandom faaaaaves. So J comes over to say hi and looks at my nametag. I slap a hand over it and overreact, saying “It’s misspelled! Don’t look at it. They misspelled Elisabeth, it’s with an s not a z. Just call me Beth.” J continues to be the absolutely funny and charming human he is.

Cut to two weeks later when I attend another taping. This time, Wil remembers me and asks me if they spelled my name right this time. They didn’t. We commiserate about how people never spell our first names right even when it’s right there in front of them.

There is a local (chicago) TV News host named Dick Johnson. I took up a second job and so happened to work with his wife. She introduced him to me while telling a lovely story about all of the errands he had just run for her while she was at work (he had come and picked up her car to put gas in it and wash it) and I made a fool of myself by saying, “Wow, I sure could use some Dick in my life.” Yup. That’s my life.

I once ran into a Beach Boy at a Reds’ game. Ran into as in we nearly knocked each other over. And when I was in college, I sold a picture frame to Rob Lowe’s dad. He is not a celebrity, but I’m awkward and was nervous anyway. I messed up the picture frame, wrapped it up, and prepared it for shipment. So if Rob or Chad wondered why their dad bought them a crappy frame, you know NOTHING.

I met Bruce Springsteen and it was the best day of my life. I mean, it was the best day that didn’t involve me giving birth to a beautiful baby. Also I met Patti Scialfa and Tom Brokaw because they were with Bruce. John Kerry was also there as he was running for President at the time, but I didn’t get to meet him. Actually, I think he was the main point of the rally but BRUCE!

I was working the box office window up at Williamstown Theatre Festival and it happened to be my birthday. My wonderful coworkers hung a sign above the window that said “This is Sue. It’s her birthday! Don’t tell her about this sign.” All day people were wishing me a happy birthday, It was pretty great. Well, Joanne Woodward came to pick up her tickets to the show that night. First of all, her credit card said Joanne Newman which I thought was the most adorable thing. And then the credit card machine was taking forever and she was lovely and patient. Well, then she looked up. She got a huge smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. “Are you Sue?” “Yesssss?” “Well happy birthday, Sue!” I died. She said it with so much joy, like she was super excited it was my birthday. It was really wonderful.

That night, I was working at the other theatre’s box office and as she was walking in, she saw me, grinned, waved, and mouthed, “Happy Birthday!”

Side note – she’s gorgeous and has this light that just shines out of her. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Judge Reinhold used to come through my line at the health food store on the regular. I was unable to convince the bagger that he was NOT, in fact, “that guy from Wings, ” and she asked him for his autograph and told him she loved him on “Wings. ” I was so embarrassed for her.

I used to work at an aromatherapy store on Robson Street in Vancouver back in the early aughts. There was a lot of film and TV work happening at that time, so there was a parade of celebrities that came through at various times: Tom Berenger (he was greasy and weird), Diane Ladd (she was delightful), Chris Klein (he wore a beanie that made it look his head like a too small condom on a large penis), Anthony Michael Hall (I was the only one in the store and was so obviously starstruck that he and his lady friend took a lap and hightailed it outta there). My favorite, however, was when Keith David came in wearing a white jacket with a grey printed wolf landscape on the back. I couldn’t place him right away, because his typical movie genre was not in my perview at that time, so I asked him, “Are you an actor? You look familiar”. He leaned in close to me and said, “I’ve been called worse”. I didn’t push further and we spent the next hour plus picking out candles and lotion. Imagine a large, fairly ferocious looking man asking your opinion on lotion! I will never forget that encounter as long as I live.

Hope this helps, doll! It’s the least I can do for all you’ve done for me. ❤

I am a huge Barenaked Ladies fan. My husband took me to see them at the MId-America Ribfest in Iowa (honest to goodness) and they signed autographs after. I fangirled all over Ed (lead singer) and asked if my husband could take our photo. I look like a strung-out lunatic in them – my eyes are open wide, my pupils are enormous, and my grin is maniacal. Poor Ed. My knees buckled after and my (very kind) husband said, “Please, Honey, can we not do this here?”

I rode an elevator with Pete Rose once.
Donny Osmond called me up on stage during his Vegas concert two years ago.
I met Donald Faison at a special screening of “Which I Was Here” and he smelled amazing.
I met Glennon Doyle recently and told her a quick story about one of my kids and she told me I must be an amazing mother. That felt pretty awesome!

Besides authors I don’t have any good celebrity encounters. Ashley Judd was a student at UK at the same time as me and according to a former coworker I likely helped her several times but I don’t remember it. I displayed poor sportsmanship toward future nba player Rex Chapman in high school and had to write an essay on sportsmanship the next day. I’ve met the lead singer of Bowling for Soup and the Dollyrots at concerts. Nothing of great excitement. I have had lunch with Chris Moore, though.

My ex-wife worked at a Greek restaurant as a teenager. At the time, Dylan McDermott was in town shooting a movie. He came into the restaurant and ordered a Greek salad. When he received his food, he was disgusted, and demanded to know why there wasn’t any lettuce in the salad. When he was told that “there is no lettuce in a Greek salad,” he got very upset, and accused the restaurant of being “the kind of place that would use ketchup in their spaghetti sauce, and claim it was normal.”

The owners of the restaurant are two brothers from Greece. They take turns each year with one of them living in Greece and perfecting recipes, while the other one runs the restaurant, then they switch. All of the staff (other than my ex and her sister) at the restaurant are their family from Greece.

Mr. McDermott was asked to leave the restaurant. In fact, he was asked to leave the town.

There is a kind of a happy ending, however. The town received a written letter of apology from Mr. McDermott, and all of the other actors on the film were lovely.

I just went to Dan Rather’s talk in Charlotte. He’s a great man. I didn’t get to meet him, though. I once saw Flava Flave in a Target in Las Vegas back when his Flavor of Love show was popular. Or at least my roommate watched it all the time so I assume it was popular. I was near the registers and he came in and shouted “Flave Flave in the House!” All the young women in the store squealed and ran to him, including all but one cashier. Not being a fan of his I approached the remaining cashier to check out. She was in her fifties and very nice. She whispered, “I don’t know who that is.” I whispered back, “I’m sorry that I do know. You’re not missing much.” That’s my only celebrity encounter. My roommate was jealous that she hadn’t gone with me to Target and mad at me for not getting Flava Flave’s autograph. The idea had not occurred to me. Apologies to any Flava Flave fans.

I lived in Boston in the mid 90’s- I was broke and worked nights and spent most of my days at Boston Public Library & if it was nice out I would scope out a bench on Comm Ave. So one day I’m sitting there reading One on One by Tabitha King- which I had just checked out of the library- and I hear this strangely foreign (for Boston) voice ask me if I’m enjoying book. I look up and Stephen freaking King is standing there. I could barely speak. But I assured him that I was enjoying the book greatly and pulled out 2 of her other books and one of his (all library copies) to prove that I was an actual fan/reader. He was the most genuine and kind person and we chatted about books, life, libraries and Maine (where I had spent summers for my entire childhood) for about 30 minutes. It was one of those days that are so surreal you always wonder if it was a dream. ❤

This is a local to Austin. I saw Vince Young talking to some very animated guy right in front of the building I work in. Vince and I had this whole conversation with just our eyes. My eyes said: “Hey, I know who you are!” His eyes said: “Cool, can you help me out here (with this guy)?” Mine said: “You are on your own, Buddy! Good luck! But it was really cool to see you.” His said, “Ok lovely lady, You sure are cute!” Well… I think his eyes said that last part, so I will just keep it as part of the story! 🙂

I played beer pong with Carl Lewis (Olympic Gold medalist and major star in my opinion!) at my friend’s baby shower. Truth.

And once I was stuck in an elevator in the middle of the night and David Crosby knew about it because I was tweeting w him when it happened. I thought that was funny – that I was stuck in an elevator and my husband didn’t know, but David Crosby did…

Mark Harmon and his wife Pam Dauber used to come in to our antique shop when I lived upstate NY. They had a vacation home near by. I used to think it was pretty funny that Mark always picked through the sale crap section looking for bargains. Hard to believe he was so hard up he needed to pick through the bargain bin!

I went to a book signing by Neil, and gave him tenticals. I made him a book mark because early that day he posted about losing his. So I braided some hemp twine together a put a squid token from my Shire of Coppertree event, and when I got to the front of the line I told him “I made you a gift because I figured you could use some more tenticals in your house!” And he loved it. Made my night.

Years ago I sat behind Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) on an international flight. Everyone who walked past would stop and fawn over him, saying how great he is, etc. I saw him reading the sports section of the paper, so I leaned forward and asked him to give me an update on where the Cubs were in the standings, with no acknowledgment of who he was. He seemed a little nonplussed, but he gave me the info anyway.

I was pregnant and dragged to an indy car race by my husband. We were wandering through the various pit crew areas before the race when I spotted a famous race car driver. I turned to look at him and walked right into the arms of Paul Newman. He had to hold onto me so I didn’t topple over since my center of gravity was a bit off. He really did have the most amazing blue eyes but he was so much shorter than I expected. I spent the next several minutes sputtering “I just touched Paul Newman!” to anyone I made eye contact with. My husband just rolled his eyes and kept walking. It made going to that race completely worth it to me.

I met the founders of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (OG Ghost Hunters) in NY Penn Station once. They were cool.
I went to see a Broadway production of a play I had been in high school. Coming back from the bathroom during intermission, I nearly ran smack into Michael Patrick King (producer of Sex and the City) in the aisle, then I glanced to his left and saw SJP!!! Chris Noth was there, too – one of the cast had a bit part on SATC.
When I was 10, I saw Mr. T dressed as Santa in Rockefeller Center.
When I was 30, my friend and I went to the Bronx and saw Martha Stewart eating a slice of pizza at a joint on Arthurs Avenue.
I have had dinner with Justice Stevens. He is charming. I have had dinner adjacent to Newt Gingrich. He is not.

I used to work at a talent agency in Los Angeles that repped a number of very famous people. While there I took 3 separate elevator rides with Mr Jeremy Piven. He never acknowledged that I was there, even though I was the only other person in the car with him. Not a very friendly guy, but on the plus side he never sexually harrassed me either so I call it a win.

One time when I was a child I was in the same pool as Mark Spitz. Back in 1972 he was like Michael Phelps–won 7 gold medals in the Olympics. Every July my extended family on my father’s side had a swim party to celebrate my grandma’s birthday. This was in Sacramento, CA, and there were lots of us–aunts and uncles and 19 cousins, so we were at a swim club. Anyway, we recognized Mark Spitz but we didn’t do anything different. Someone pointed him out and then we just kept playing in the pool. I guess that’s not really a story, but at least it’s a nice memory that isn’t stressful. For anyone who’s curious, here’s a link where you can read about him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Spitz

I met Paul Newman once at Kenyon Festival theatre in Gambier, Ohio. I went to high school in a town nearby and was an usher. He snuck in to see Joanne Woodward (she was in Hay Fever, very funny) after it started and asked my for a stool so he could sit in the back of the audience. He really was really that handsome.

My friend and I enjoyed watching Rob Lowe on the beach in Atlantis in the Bahamas; we followed him over to the beach after we noticed he was using one of the beach bungalows next to the adult pool where we were hanging out drinking delicious cocktails served by beautiful women who all looked like Rhianna. We had a great time and our husbands just shook their heads at us like we were ridiculous school girls and we just said, “we’re watching Rob Lowe, you can go do whatever you want” and I don’t think they appreciated being ignored while we ogled a celebrity but we had enjoyed several beverages so we didn’t care. On that same trip we met LeBrawn James’s grandmother at the spa and I feel sure that she was telling the truth as she announced it to everyone she met because why would you impersonate someone’s grandmother? Also, that inspired us to refer to the gigantic shrimp cocktail we ate near the pool (which on the menu was “prawn cocktail “) as LePrawn James. We laughed a lot and our husbands rolled their eyes a lot on that trip.

Favorite celebrity encounter was when I met Arthur Darvill at a con and got a photo with him and Flat Rory. Actually, the BEST part of it all was when TheBloggess liked that Twitter post 🙂 Squee! Other memorable celebrity encounter was meeting the great Carrie Fisher at a con (I sense a theme). She was amazing, and I just adored her. She listened as I rambled on, and concluded that we were in the same tribe.

My ex used to do tech for the local theater so I met several celebs through him, but the best by far was Bob Newhart. He’s been an idol since I was a kid. Such a nice, patient man. Never lost it even when an insane woman kept screaming “BAHB! BAHB!”, to try to get his attention.

I was walking through a train to get some coffee and I’d been reading The Martian for 4 hours and I was a bit sleep deprived and heady and I THOUGHT i saw Misha Collins and I about had a heart attack before i realixed it wasn’t him. Also not a great story.

However when my mom was 6 months pregnant with me she got chewed out by Leonard Nimoy so that totally counts, right? (She was the manager of a theater he was appearing at and a hotel manager that had always been rock-solid in the past pulled a totally idiot move and set up a PRESS CONFERENCE for Nimoy without asking. It wasn’t really Mom’s fault but of course she got the yelling-at. Which she bore patiently & understandigly and then never used that hotel again.)

I saw Lyle Lovett at a little bar in Bryan, TX and we casually exchanged nods. I also danced in the aisle of a theatre with Angelique Kidjo. Then there was the time I met Jenny Lawson at BookPeople – it was magical! I saw Victor there, too, but I was too shy to talk to him.

I met Ron Jeremy at a strip club event, after schlepping my very drunk friend to the grocery store for much needed food. She ran threw the Jewel asking incredibly loudly so all could hear if we though the Pringles container she was carrying was a good measurement of his schlong. It was quite the evening to be designated driver. I don’t even like strip clubs. Burlesque, all the way!

I once saw Robert Webber, a long-time Hollywood character actor whose most famous role was probably as Cybill Shepherd’s character’s father in Moonlighting, in a Steak & Ale in Riverside, CA. No encounter, I just recognized him. No IMDb back then (this was in the late 1970s/early 1980s) so although I knew I had seem him frequently in guest starring roles on TV, I didn’t realize the extent of his career until the internet came along.

I saw Steve Martin walking around the Plaza Art Fair in Kansas City. My sister and I weren’t convinced it was him but then he smiled. We debated whether to say anything but then another woman yelled his name: though he shook her hand and was very nice about it, he left pretty quickly after that and we felt bad that he didn’t get to enjoy more of the festival.

I saw members of Bruce Springsteens band (and others) doing coke in a stairway at a family event that I was invited to. I won’t say who those people were but suffice it to say most everyone was doing something or another. It was the 80’s.

PS: Had my gallbladder removed some time ago. Have not noticed any issues other than I temporarily had to refrain from eating nuts.

I once walked into the boobs of the lead singer for a German band. Her boyfriend was right behind her and gave me a quick glance and said something in German. I’m not sure if it was condescending or not since the entire language sounds like you’re being yelled at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcxvQI88JRY).

A law firm I worked for sent me twice to Dennis Rodman’s house to notarize documents for him. The second time, I interrupted his phone call with Madonna. While working at the same firm, I was walking through the reception area and the receptionist asked if I would hand a cup of coffee to the person in the conference room. I knocked on the door and Tommy Lee Jones answered.

Also, try titer tests next year for Dorothy. Her antibodies may be high enough that she doesn’t need to be vaccinated again.

Patrick Swayze nearly ran me over with his horse at the Arabian Horse Nationals. And then when I said, watch where you are going he asked me if I knew who he was. Um yes, no, I don’t care, watch where you’re going

Allison Mack, who played Chloe on “Smallville”, sang “Cheer up Charlie” from “Willy Wonka” to my autistic 3 year old (named Charlie) while we were getting autographs at the Superman Festival in Metropolis, IL. She is still my favorite.

I rear-ended a cab. Larry King’s wife was the passenger. When I called the insurance company, I said, “Uh, there’s something you need to know” and proceeded to tell the rep. She said, “Larry King, Larry King?” And I confirmed it. I thought my life was over and I’d end up in financial ruin. But it resolved just like any other accident for I might have been at fault.

The first time I went to a sci-fi convention, Andrew Robinson of Star Trek DS9 serenaded me with a few lines at the photo op and nearly signed my photo “To Andrew, (message) from Andrew” because our names are so similar! He was very apologetic and a very nice guy.

I walked by Norman Reedus on my way to work in NYC once. I saw him from about a block away, stared awkwardly trying to process if it was really him, he saw me staring, gave me a nice nod as he walked by, and I nodded back and kept going. I still sometimes think I dreamed this.

I also met Nathan Fillion at NYCC and Zachary Levi at the stage door of She Loves Me, and both are exactly the wonderful gentlemen you’d hope.

I ran into Richard Dreyfuss waiting for takeout at Chin Chin in Studio City (California). He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him, so I went over and asked if he taught high school biology (my biology teacher kind of looked like Richard Dreyfuss). He said, “no, I’m Richard Dreyfuss.” I said, “Of course you are! I loved you in that movie with Holly Hunter!” Then I walked back to my cousin, who was trying to to laugh hysterically at my stupid.

I was staying at nice DC hotel because I got a Priceline deal. It turned out to be during the weekend of the Kennedy Honors & their were all these celebreties staying there. I went downstairs for an early breakfast & the only other person there was Annete Bening reading a script. All I had with me was the first Harry Potter book, so I asked her to sign it. Later that morning Sam Waterson signed it. Also someone who said, “Would you like my autograph too?” I have no idea who it was but I didn’t want to disappoint him. I can’t read his signature.

When I was 8(?) I was at a celebrity golf tournament (“The Crosby”) getting autographs; I didn’t know these folks, but they. were. famous. One guy, named Jimmy Dean, yes, the Jimmy Dean, gave me an autograph and leaned down as if he were going to whisper in my ear … at this point, the crowd became aware of what was going on and got silent. I just stood there, stupidly, with Jimmy Dean bent over with his face next to mine until someone in the crowd yelled, “Give ‘em s peck!” And that’s the longest I think Mr. Dean ever waited in public for a quick peck.

At that same tournament, Alex Trabek told me that all my many freckles would come together for a tan.

I met Jimmy Stewart when he was at the 50th anniversary at Mt Rushmore. I asked him if he really liked Campbell’s soup, or just sold it. He said that it was good, but his wife’s was better. Then he asked me what it was like to work at Mt Rushmore. Super nice guy!

I was working in a hotel in Asheville NC and I had the honor of handling the luggage for Michael Caine who was in town filming Mister Destiny. When I took the first piece off the luggage cart to put into the taxi the brake on the cart failed causing the rest of his luggage to roll downhill toward a busy intersection. I had the opportunity to chase Michael Caine’s luggage down the street.

Okay…so I used to live in a place called Effingham, IL. Sounds like a fake name for a bad town that everyone hates, but it’s actually a nice place. It’s called the Crossroads of America because every highway and railway runs through it. Even if it REALLY doesn’t, it feels like it.

With that being the case, lots of people crossed our paths there. The local grocery store was IGA. One night back in the 1980’s, we were shopping and I saw someone I SWORE was Rick Springfield. I was only 9 or 10 so everyone dismissed me. It was his big hey-day and he was the SHIT. Anyway, I stalked him like any self-respecting kid who thinks they saw a star would until we were all leaving.

He was several feet ahead as we left the store…and he was heading to a big tour bus with RICK SPRINGFIELD emblazoned across the side. Of course, I lost it and started shouting that I was right. I WAS RIGHT!!

He heard me and turned around.

Now here’s the cheesy but really still kind of awesome thing. He walks back to us and touches my cheek. He looks deeply into my pre-teen eyes and says, “I bet your boyfriend’s name is Jesse.”

I breathlessly asked, “Why?”

He (no crap) bounced backwards playing air guitar while singing, “Because I want, I want Jesse’s girl!!” Then he turned and ran to his tour bus.

About a year later, John Schneider (Bo Duke) had just started his music career and was touring. His bus stopped at that same fated grocery store in that Podunk town. I followed him to the checkout and Teen Beat magazine had him right on the front there in the racks. I told him I thought it was him. He smiled and said, “I get that all the time,” with a wink at me. Walk outside…another bus with his name on the side.

When I worked at Lord and Taylor in Houston, I sold socks to a woman accompanied by Lyle Lovett. It was pre-Julia Roberts, so I think he was surprised I knew who he was. His hair was amazing even back then. I wish I could talk about other encounters, but I’m a nurse and can’t (did travel assignments in Santa Monica and Santa Barbara-oh, the stories I could tell).

I accidentally: (1) tripped Roger Federer when I was walking in front of him and stopped suddenly (I didn’t know he was behind me); and (2) fell headfirst into Maggie Gyllenhaal’s lap.

Saw Lauren Hill and Wyclef Jean at a Hardee’s after a concert.

AND … Busta Rhymes stopped a concert mid-song because my friends and I weren’t standing up (in our defense, it was a long day, and he wasn’t the headliner). After being yelled at by Mr. Rhymes, we stood.

When I was a little girl my mom worked in a toy and kids furniture store in Denver. One of the players (way back when) was Dan Issel. I remember him coming in with his new baby in his palm (not exaggerating at all teeny baby/big man). I stood on one of the bunk beds trying so hard to be as tall as he was. He was nice, it was cool.

Another local… I met this really cool author at Book People. She signed my book and took a picture with me. Her writing spoke to me on so many levels as she is so down to earth and shares so much of herself with her readers. I will never forget meeting… Jenny Lawson! I was with a group of Jennifers…. 4 of us total in the picture. 🙂

This is more about avoiding a celebrity encounter which is not at all what you asked for but it’’s a distraction nonetheless. Al Gore once knocked on my door and I refused to answer it. It was when he was campaigning for President. I woke up on a Saturday afternoon to Secret Service men standing on my front lawn and the street clogged with government vehicles. Al was standing on my doorstep alternately knowcking and turning to wave at the tv cameras in the street who were all there to dcomebt his “meet the people” event. Screw that. I was not going to be a pawn in that game. Not with bed head especially. So I peeked at him through the windows and let him knock awkwardly til he gave up and went away.

I’ve cashiered for a few small scale celebrities at stores, but my big deal is that NYT bestselling author (like you!) Patricia Briggs has twice gone on camp-outs with some of her fans, and I got to be one of them. She and her husband told stories on themselves about oopsies, also like you.
You might consider getting Hailey’s gall bladder and appendix pro-actively removed, along with her tonsils. Those three are nothing but a pack of ringleaders.

I once RAN into Sigourney Weaver backstage at a play. I am five feet tall and she is an amazon.
Better story – Had a screaming fight with my college boyfriend in a hotel lobby. When we calmed down, we looked over and Dennis Hopper was sitting in an oversized armchair, smoking a cigar and watching us.

While Bill Bryson was signing his book for me, I told him it had made me laugh while I was in hospital. Instead of saying something like “I’m glad you enjoyed it”, he stopped writing and said, “Oh! I do hope you’re better now.” Such a nice man.

I once saw Tenacious D at a concert in Columbus, Ohio. We got backstage passes for a quick meet & greet/signing of the cd. I wasn’t feeling well and wanted to leave early but I also super duper wanted to meet Jack Black so I toughed it out. When it was our turn, he noticed I wasn’t feeling so great. He drew a picture on the disc and told me he hoped it would cheer me up. It was of a stubby penis. It still makes me smile/laugh to this day.

I work at a vet hospital, and one day about a year ago Chuck Norris and his family came in with their dog. Being a Texas native, I grew up on Walker, Texas Ranger, so this was exciting. I can’t ask for pictures or anything at work, so when he came up with his wife to check out, I was trying to chat with them. His wife did all the talking while Chuck stood right in front of my desk, smiling enigmatically every time I glanced at him, but he never said a word. His eyes seemed to say, I know you know I’m Chuck Norris, but he never said a word.

Years ago, Debra Winger was doing a show at a theater I worked at and I asked her to autograph one of her headshots. I normally don’t do that, but it was for a friend who was in hospice and a major fan since her “Urban Cowboy” days. She was perfectly happy to give it to me, and when I explained who it was for, she sat us both down and spent about 15 minutes talking with me about my friend and sharing a relevant story from her life. In the end, she hugged me, autographed the picture, and wrote a lovely note to my friend. I overnighted it and for the next two weeks anyone who came into her room had to stop and admire the picture.

I only met one celebrity in my whole life – it was Helen Hayes, and she was already in her 80s. I was working in a program for the elderly and she was the narrator of a documentary that included our program. I was an accountant, not working on the program, but when she visited, I got an introduction anyway, because I was a bit of a film buff. And she said, “Oh, I’m a little embarrassed to meet you, because I just came from filming, and I have on way too much makeup.” I thought that was really sweet – she cared about the impression she was making on ME – the accountant. I thought – “Don’t worry. You don’t look like a hooker.” But I didn’t say it out loud.

Tim Gunn. I met Tim Gunn and I told him that I was really self-conscious about what I had on considering who I was standing next to. He laughed, hugged me and told me that I looked “lovely.” Yeah…so I have that going for me. He was as nice as you would imagine.

I can’t say that I’ve had a celebrity encounter, although I commented on a Facebook post of Amanda Palmer’s and said that I hadn’t been seeing her posts because I realized I hadn’t hit “follow” on her page. Not long after, she advised everyone to hit the “follow” button to make sure they got updates. I don’t know if that counts.

The rest of my family have had encounters with celebs, though. My sister has met both Dallas Green (on a plane) and Kevin O’Leary (in an airport; he was rude, of course), my dad once met Kirk Douglas (and shook his hand!), and my mom met Desmond Tutu (and, again, got a handshake). My brother also called in to the local news discussion program and told the host (a former city councilor who really helped our neighbourhood when we got flooded just after Hurricane Katrina hit the U.S.) about his best and worst Christmas presents.

I witnessed (I was already right there on the beach before the big crowd arrived) Danny Bonaduce wreck/slam his boat onto Venice Beach. He must have been asleep or something… he and another guy came out in robes. They tried to back up the boat but it wasn’t working. The coast guard showed up and it was a big spectacle.

As an undersized lad of 12, I was in line to shake hands with former President Ronald Reagan as he was walking along the edge of a crowd after delivering a speech. He was two people away from me when I got shoved out of the way by a fat lady who then took my place.

I drove David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell in my car from the venue where they spoke to their hotel. They were both sitting in the back seat chatting away, and it was so cool and also so weird to hear their voices FOR REAL in my car instead of coming out of the dashboard speakers.

Holding your tender heart from afar, Jenny. One time, I saw Dennis Rodman in a Vegas mall and I followed him for a bit like the rest of the nutjobs who did, as if I had some interest in him, any interest at all, which I did not. I cannot explain my actions.

At Comic Con about five years ago, I attended a panel with Christopher Moore and afterward my boyfriend-at-the-time shoved me up to the stage so I could tell him how much of an inspiration he is to me. I nearly fainted from the anxiety and could barely speak, but managed to get out something resembling words. He told me, “Thanks, have some chocolate,” and handed me two Hershey’s Kisses. I still have one actually. I didn’t mean to keep it for five years, it just got stuck in a box of random shit from Comic Con that I didn’t bother to go through until last year. I figure it’s probably too old to eat, so I decided to embrace how creepy/stalkery it is to save food given to me by one of my favorite authors and stuck it in a little plastic display case. It’s a great conversation starter, actually. Everyone wants to know why I have a Hershey’s Kiss in a display case on my desk.

I was lucky enough to be one of the coaches to teach Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood (sp?) and their touring staff how to curl. 40 crazy musicians and event staff on the ice, with booze? It was fun. Plus, I got to see Garth Brooks “stone surf”. yes, that’s a thing. They all seemed like family… Won the day with the picture of me and Mr. Brooks as proof of my story — he looks great, me? I just looked messed up and star struck.

I was a nanny for a late night talk show producer thirty years ago. I’d chat with Bill Murray, Billy Crystal, and others by phone regularly, but my favorite person was Jamie Lee Curtis. My boss brought us for lunch to their hotel room and she hugged the stuffing out of me when we met and when I left. Very genuine, very present. I’d back her in an alley-way knife fight any day.

I was getting yogurt near my home in Sherman Oaks, CA- the guy in front of me is chatting away with the server behind the counter. When they are finished, the man in front of me turns around and it’s Eric Roberts. (most won’t know him, but he is an actor and Julia Roberts’ brother and I was a HUGE fan of his for years) I stood frozen and blurted out, “Oh my gosh, it’s YOU. My heart is pounding and I ‘m gonna throw up!” He smiled, held out his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Eric .” I said, “I KNOW!”. (very smooth) After a few minutes I got my yogurt and left. Cut to 15 years later and my husband is working as a prop master on a film with Eric. After a few weeks of filming, they were chatting and my husband started to bring up the story to him. Before he could even finish , Eric said, “I remember her!.” My husband didn’t believe him until he said, “Yeah, it was at Humphrey Yogart on Van Nuys Blvd. No one has ever said they were going to throw up when they met me before.” I was later introduced to him at the film’s wrap party and I was much more composed….but still felt like I would throw up!

I had a murderous gallbladder too. And my Shih Tzu had a reaction to her annual shots as well. I understand these things. As for humorous celebrity encounter…no humorous ones. But once, I was leaving a convention and stopped in front of a hotel as a women in a wheelchair was being wheeeled inside. I realized it was Nichelle Nichols! I couldn’t speak or move. So I stood there like an idiot, just waving. She never even noticed me there!

I used to be a dog walker in Toronto in the early 2000s, one sunny Sunday I was walking a little pitbull who loved people but hated dogs, when I spotted an older gentleman walking toward us with a jack russel on a retractable leash. I asked him to keep the leash short while we passed each other because Magic wasn’t good with other dogs. He laughed and told me Ruby wasn’t fond of other dogs either. We were exchanging Sunday morning small talk and dog stories when he paused for a bit, like he was expecting me to say something. We chat a bit longer and part ways.
I get to the park and see a woman whose dog I walked as well so we’re chatting while the dogs pee on stuff when I see the gentleman and Ruby on the far side of the park.
‘You see that man over there? He has the most amazing voice, he sounds just like Donald Sutherland!’
‘That’s because it IS Donald Sutherland, he owns an apartment in my building.’
‘That explains the expectant pause in the conversation…’
I was wearing a threadbare vintage MAS*H t-shirt.

I met Mark Gatiss twice in the same week… Both times I just froze and look at him as if I was a crazy lady (I am a crazy lady, but he didn’t need to know that). Also, when I met David Tennant I said “Can I hug you?” and he said “Of course! It’ my pleasure!” and I almost died.

I got to meet Steve Perry (from Journey) after a show in 1995! Went backstage, he talked with us and singed his autograph on photos and a t-shirt Inhad bought. Never in a million years had I thought it could happen yet it did!!! Happiness and joyful ness abounding😊

I was the animal handler on a movie in Ft. Worth with Nick Nolte once. He came to scout the location in his PJ’s. He’s sorta known for that. But, he was a really nice guy, even after they had to go rescue him from the titty bar at 2:00am.

I worked in a office building that housed a number of small film production companies and had a reception desk at the top of a very steep staircase. One day, a guy bounded up the stairs: I recognized him from high school and said hi! – he said “Hi!” back and we caught up before he went to his meeting. That’s when I realized that I didn’t know him from high school and he was “Ross” from “Friends.”

I sat next to Ed McMahon at a quarter video poker machine at the Bellagio in Las Vegas…he was teaching a young boy (oh god, I hope it was his grandson) how to play. My husband and I were so surprised we didn’t say anything.

When I was a kid, I went to a resteraunt with my family. The waitress said to me, “I’m not supposed to tell people this, but that’s Shari Lewis from the Lamb Chop TV show over there!” I loved that show and turned around to see, and there she was–Shari Lewis, with some dude, eating her breakfast. My parents were like, Go say hi to her! But I didn’t. I missed my ONE chance to meet Shari Lewis, because the waitress wasn’t supposed to have said anything and I didn’t want to bother anyone or get anyone in trouble. It was a manner of honor! Of rule-following! Of being a good girl! Also, my nickname growing up was Sister Mary and I was not invited back to many parties.

When my (now 20 year old) son was 6.5, he went to Philadelphia with my mom and step-dad. The hotel they were at had mirrors in the elevator and the minute my son got on he started making faces at himself and getting super absorbed into the activity. Then William Hurt got on the elevator. My mom said that he chuckled at my son and Iain suddenly realized there were other people on the elevator and bolted the minute the door opened despite nkt being the right floor so my mom had to chase him.

Also I saw Famke Jansson speak in a small setting against human trafficking. She ate lunch with everyone and was friendly afterward. The I went in the bathroom and a Boston Terrier ran under the door of my stall to say hi. Famke was in the stall next to me and she told me she takes him with her everywhere. His name is Licorice.

I met you at one of your book signings in Dallas a couple of years ago. You said you liked my shirt and I told you that I knew you would, and that’s why I wore it. Later, I worried I came off as creepy.

I live in New York, and people think we see celebrities all the time. The thing is, unless you are really a fan they generally look normal on the street. But, a friend of mine introduced me to an actor I recognized from TV, and we had a great conversation at a bar for about 2 hours. He was lovely.

My story is not much better than yours, sorry. I am sure your vet will make sure that Dorothy Barker is ok!

Many years ago, I had a nice chat with a young singer named Katy Hudson backstage at a concert that was being held in a dusty auditorium in Colorado Springs. She was being promoted as the “next big star” in Christian music. After an entertaining, if rambling, conversation, it was clear to me she didn’t fit that niche. She was insanely funny and far too worldly for Christian music. I told her so. She laughed and said, “You’re probably right,” then went onstage to assault the meager crowd with her thrashing guitar-playing and unpolished but uniquely compelling voice. A few years later, she changed her name to Katy Perry.

I got to meet Amanda Palmer and Neil Gaiman (separately) a few months apart. There were tickets and standing in line involved for both, but Amanda gave me a hug and I got to pass it onto Neil, so those were good encounters.

Oh crap… that just sucks.
OK, So after my family and I left the theatre where we’d been to see “Willow” (which should give you some idea of how long ago we’re talking here), we decided to got get Sushi at a little spot in the trendy part of town were we were. Next to us was a very nice family, I noticed the gent was wearing a walking cast, and we chatted a bit… nothing to it. As we left my Mother was clearly trying to not to giggle. I asked why and she said “you have no idea who that was do you?”. I said no of course not… and she tells me that we just sat a whole meal beside Alan Frew, the lead singer of GLASS TIGER (American Translation: Think finding yourself next to the lead singer of Duran Duran in like.. 1988). She would not let me go back for an autograph and to this day likes to tease me that I didn’t recognize him…

Oh, and Mick Jaggar waved at me in the middle of Sympathy for the Devil on the Voodoo Lounge Tour…. He waved at ME dammit! 🙂

Ooh! I have a good (if not particularly kind) one. When I was coming home from my honeymoon, I walked into a tiny Caribbean airport and had the unkind thought that the main in front of me at the security line was incredibly ugly.

My second thought was “Wait! That’s Ric Ocasek (from the Cars). And he was accompanied by the extremely attractive Paulina Porizkova (supermodel at the time).

Even crazier, about 15 years later, I wound up in an elevator with Ric in Boston. Double-celebrity encounter!

And by the way, I just looked it up and Ric and Paulina are still married all these years later. That warms my heart

I saw Dog the Bounty Hunter at my gym a few times. He was working out and also wearing his shades and leather and sunglasses and had his hair all ducky on top like he does. He has THE TINIEST FEET I HAVE EVER SEEN ON AN ADULT. Like I doubt he’s a men’s 6.

I was on a music cruise, and the gentleman sitting next to me asked me if I’d seen any of the John Prine sets yet. I said no, I’m not really a fan. Then I realized I was talking to John Prine. 5 years later, I still feel terrible, like he thinks I insulted him on purpose.

Oh, I’ve got WAY too many. Enough to write a novella-length book at least. I’d call it Humiliations Galore. But here’s a quick one: For the Star Wars: The Force Awakens premiere in Hollywood, I waited 5 hours outside in the freezing cold wind for my celebrity couple to show up. It was ungodly cold for Southern California in December (like a wind chill factor of 38). Along comes Cuba Gooding, Jr., waiting for his son to park and his publicist to escort him down the half-mile long red carpet. We were literally huddling together for body heat. I said to him, “I think I just involuntarily froze my eggs.”

The drummer from gun and roses smacked my ass at a bar. I was not please or flattered. In fact I almost punched him, but my friends thought it was awesome.
Another time, Martha Stewart called on me during a Q&A session. I was so excited I got verbal diarrhea and told her “I love you”!
I’m so cool 😖

As a summer student, I worked in the same department as Neil de Grasse Tyson, back before he was famous (25 years ago…). He was a post-doc. Very nice, ate a lot of tunafish and carrots at lunch. My mom thought he was hot. 🙂

I’m borrowing my mom’s story because it’s better than any of mine. When I was in junior high school, she was working at a flight school as head of the sales department. She had to deal with people all day and while she was amazing at it, it definitely got to be overwhelming.

One morning, she went in early to work in order to catch up on some paperwork while things were quiet. The front desk was expressly told not to page her for any reason until they officially opened. They paged her anyway, saying that a potential student wanted to talk to her.

She goes downstairs, already annoyed, and is confronted with this short, scruffy guy with long hair, a bomber jacket, and aviator glasses. He holds out his hand and says, “Hi, I’m Jimmy Buffet.” Without breaking her stride, my mom likewise holds out her hand and says, “Hi, I’m Lady Di.” The man takes off his glasses, smiles, and says, “Honest, it’s me.” It was indeed.

Being a huge Bufffet fan, my mom was mortified. Jimmy Buffet, being himself, was of course absolutely cool about it. When she said she was a big fan, he asked what her favorites were. Since this was after he had started to make it big, she had told me that he seemed both surprised and pleased that the albums and songs she named were some of his earlier work. They had a nice little musical discussion before talking about the flight school.

That’s it! He unfortunately decided to get his instrument rating elsewhere, but it was a neat if initially embarrassing encounter for my mom.

When I was 5 I met Daisy Duke at our local car show. I freaked out because she was freckly all over and called her a fraud. I’ve always felt bad about that, now that I know she paved the way for my realizing NOBODY IS PERFECT.

I met Prince once when he came into the record store I worked in. At first I didn’t realize who he was because he was TEENY and wearing high heels – with his hair grown out a bit, I thought he was a woman. Then he walked up to 5’10” me, looked WAY UP with those crazy doe eyes, and asked where the blues section was. For a hot second I couldn’t remember, but recovered and led him to it but warned him it was a small section (blues didn’t sell well for us so we ignored it a bit). He asked for an album but we didn’t have it and he gave me the single best eyeroll I’ve ever seen.

He shopped a bit more and bought a bunch of CDs, paid for by a very large, very well-dressed bodyguard who pulled out the fattest wad of $100s I have ever seen and probably will ever see again.

Our 13 year old Vizsla, Achilles, has been having some intestinal issues lately so my husband, Tom, and I have been VERY in tune to the dog’s digestive system. Yesterday, I walked him (the dog) in the morning and was thrilled because all of his “business” came out normal.

I marched into my husband’s home office, put my hands on my hips and announced, “GOOD NEWS! A very firm and healthy poop today!”

Tom shook his head, stared at the computer screen and said (to his EXTREMELY QUIET sales team on a con call), “that was my wife…she’s talking about the dog.”

I met Michael Stipe at a book signing. I was so flustered after he signed my book that I closed it and started walking away, only to have the photographer (and author) of the book ABOUT Michael Stipe, who was standing next to him, ready to sign the book, call me back, like, “thanks for not acknowledging me and the book I WROTE!”
I felt like an asshole.

I also saw Nick Cave when I was standing in line for a porta-potty at Lollapalooza. I stared at him, because he was so creepy looking, and I didn’t know who he was. So he waved at me, and I did that, “who, me?” thing and looked behind me. Then I saw him onstage later and realized.
I felt like an asshole.

In a hallway at a convention center, Robert Englund put his hand on my shoulder and leaned in to fake bite my face as he was being led through a door. Freddy Kruger was a hair’s width away from my face with his teeth bared.

I once almost stepped on an adorable small woman covered in tattoos, while visiting an excellent bookstore in NYC. I apologized but only cursorily. And then realized that I’d almost trampled Janeane Garofalo, and tried not to stare or stammer and make it worse.

So this isn’t really a story about me meeting a celebrity, and instead about me poorly sharing space and being generally embarrassing, which is… pretty much par for the course, really.

I am have mild face-blindness. So I often don’t recognise celebrities, or it takes me a while to figure out who they are. With that in mind:

I was driving home, and there was a woman at a crosswalk, waiting. So I smiled and waved her on. She smiled back and waved enthusiastically. I was confused, but assumed she was waiting to be picked up by someone, so I started to go again. She started to go then too. What? So I stopped again, and waved again, this time with a WTF look on my face. She waved again and I started again. She walked AGAIN. So now, I’m like omgwtf this idiot. So I waited, and waved her on and just sat there until she went. When she was more or less right in front of me, she waved, but looked super embarrassed, and I thought ‘good, that was stupid’. And THEN it hit me. That’s Lea Michele, and she thought I recognized her, which was why she was waving. facepalm

I have done this more than once. I literally slammed right into Phil Donahue on the street – like walked right into him. When I recoiled, he smiled at me, with that look like he expected me to say something. I said, “Sorry! I’m rather clumsy.” He was gracious and I picked up my shit and started to walk away. I knew I should know him, but whether it was because he worked with my husband or was some serious celeb, I had no idea. So I said, “Have a nice day. Hopefully no one else smacks into you.” And he looked pissed right off, which I assumed meant I was right, that I should know him. Wasn’t until I was home that I figured out who it was. Oops!

The summer before I started college, I was at a psychology conference with my parents, who always took me to their conferences as an educational experience. During breakfast in the hotel restaurant, this elderly guy and a younger woman walked right by our table, and my mom started fangirling frantically, grabbing my hand and basically crushing the bones to powder. Turns out the elderly gentleman was BF Skinner with his daughter. (He wasn’t in the best of health at that time, so we didn’t bother him, but I’m pretty sure he had to have noticed my mom freaking the frak out. Hopefully it entertained him a bit.)

I was at ComicCon and saw Jason Mamoa’s assistant get really angry about something and try to rage throw a large trashcan across a hallway while yelling “IS NO ONE GOING TO HELP ME?”. I don’t know what she needed help with but unfortunately (for her) the trashcan was a lot heavier than it looked so she ended up just kind of knocking it over in a very anticlimactic way then walking away as a con employee asked her “are you going to clean that up?” (no, she was not going to).

I met Jane Fonda after a talk she did in London last October. I was so starstruck I just mumbled something and she went in for a hug. The sweetest, most beautiful person I’ve ever met.
Sending all of you so much love and strength. ❤

In 2005, I went to the movies with John Taylor, Simon Le Bon, and Nick Rhodes. We saw Corpse Bride. Standing in a crowded line for popcorn with Simon (who was cheerfully loud), I couldn’t believe no one recognized that a member of Duran Duran was in their midst.

I rode in an elevator with Bruce Willis. I also inadvertently flashed Gene Simmons. Not at the same time. Because that would mean that I probably flashed Bruce Willis as well. I didn’t. They were two separate instances. This would have been a much cooler story if they weren’t.

I arranged for a YouTube celebrity to speak at an event in my hometown. She only knew me by my twitter handle and the first time I saw her at the event was in the bathroom. So I made small talk with her until it came out that I was the person who brought her there. Then she mentioned the conversation at the end of her speech. I have never been so embarrassed and proud simultaneously in my life.

I used to work at a coffee shop near where they filmed the show One Tree Hill in Wilmington, NC. Moira Kelly was a frequent patron. She was super quiet and polite and tipped well. Paul Johansson came through the drive through once. He was rude and boisterous, wanted everyone to know he was a celebrity, and did not tip well. He did however grab my hand while I was handing him some equal packets.

Once, on a Halloween many years ago, I’d just decided that I was going to hang out with friends without a costume. We weren’t doing anything special, so it wasn’t necessary. My friend’s little sister decided that this wouldn’t do, tracked down some stuff they had sitting around, which wound up being parts of a bunny costume (ears, and tail) a white puffy wig, and face paint, so she goes forth with painting my face as well as a 14-year-old can. I’m not all that easily embarrassed, so when my friends suggest that we run to a Walgreens to pick something up, I’m like sure, I’ll go like this. We go and pick up our items, go to the checkout when I notice my brother staring intently at someone that has just walked by. Keep in mind, this is the late 90s, but it was the lead singer of Everclear (I don’t know how widely popular they were, but in Portland OR where I lived, they were very popular.) So my brother starts freaking out, my friends do too, they start stalking him through the store and I go along with, we’re all trying to verify if it’s him. It definitely is. So we bust out a camera (disposable, this is pre-cell phones with cameras) and take actual pictures with him. My brother goes first, and is freaking out a little, so I quietly tell him to just calm down, he’s just a regular guy, and Art (the lead singer guy) goes “Yeah man, listen to the bunny.”

I still have a picture of me in that terrible costume with Art Alexakis in a Walgreens on Halloween.

Nearly 30 years ago I rounded a corner in a hotel corridor and collided with Kathleen Turner. For reasons unknown Miss Turner was holding a small plate of cheese and some of the cheese cubes fell on the floor. Miss Turner gave me a really filthy look and stalked on down the hall. I’m sure I stood there gawping for a moment until I staggered back to my own room. I don’t know what happened to the cheese.

I bumped into Kevin Sorbo at a convention. I am 5’6″ and my nose hit his chest. I had also put my hands up when I realized I was about to crash into someone and so they landed on his chest as well. He was wearing a sweater, and although I was not into Kevin Sorbo or very muscly guys, I had to appreciate how the sweater felt over his muscled chest. He was in a hurry of some sort, said, “Sorry!” and literally picked me up by the shoulders and put me to the side, at which time he made a bee-line for the men’s bathroom.

When I was 23 my sainted grandparents took the whole family to Hawaii (!!). Since I lived in Phoenix with them we were flying together to meet the rest of the family on Maui. 6AM at Sky Harbor with my grandmother while my grandfather checks us in (pre 9/11!) and who do I see? DENNIS FRICKING RODMAN. Now, young’uns – this was PRIME very hot, bleach blonde, basketball playing Dennis Rodman. Not the Hope For Us All in North Korea like he is now. He was wearing sunglasses and a vest (no shirt of COURSE) (well, and pants) and he’s standing at a counter checking me out. Like REALLY checking me out. He does the thing where you pull your sunglasses down and do the deep sexy stare right into me and gives the wink/head nod of attraction approval. I smile and nod back, now walking away with my gray haired grandparents. Out of his life forever. Unfortunately right into the middle row of a plane full of teenage Mormon choir singers on their way to Honolulu. Singing the whole way across the Pacific. That first Mai Tai was the best drink of my life.

I’ve also helped Stevie Nicks and Lauren Bacall (separately, obviously) while selling Native American jewelry in Scottsdale, but those stories aren’t as good.

Deep breaths – we love you, hear you and feel you Jenny! But not in a creepy way, in a lower the sunglasses connection way. Wait – that’s kinda creepy….

Danny Elfman came to my house once. It was in the 80’s when he was doing Oingo Boingo. My stepmom was showing him a house for sale, and they stopped by so she could pick up something from her home office.

I was travelling with some work colleagues one time and we were catching our flight home from LAX. It was early and we stopped at McDonalds in the airport and happened to grab a seat right behind where the ketchup dispenser was. About 3 people tried the dispenser and it was obviously empty. We sat there long enough we were kind of laughing at people’s attempts. Finally another guy came through, did it again, we are were laughing and one of us said “we could be useful and go tell somebody it’s empty”. The guy grinned at us and said “but it’s so much more entertaining to make fun of us”. He wandered off and one of the guys I worked with said – that was the guy from Galaxy Quest. We all looked at him and knew suddenly he was right. It was indeed Jed Reese, the nicest guy in Galaxy Quest. http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/marvelmovies/images/3/34/Jed_Rees.jpg

I was working on Nantucket Island one summer. In a shop, looking at sweaters I could ‘t afford) when I heard a soft voice ask the clerk for one in each color. It was Jackie Kennedy. Joel Grey was also giving directions to tourists one day by the ferry.

Once Kevin Tighe asked me (well, us, there were two of us) to pull all kinds of bad doctor murder mystery books so he could research for a character on Law and Order, SVU. He was charming and funny, and he was great in the episode too!

I met and shook hands with Idi Amin when I was nursing in Saudi Arabia and caring for one of his children. He was imposing and very tall. I also met King Hussein of Jordan and shook his hand. I spoke to John Lennon accidentally on the telephone when I was around 16 but didn’t know it had been him until after when my Dad told me. Myself and a friend met Charleston Heston at a luncheon in honour of a book he had written (my friend loved him, me, not so much) and I saw Pearl Bailey from a distance going up an escalator at the Cairo Museum. That’s all, for now, folks!

I sold frozen baby mice to Tiny Tim (“Tiptoe Through the Tulips) and his wife when I worked for a pet store. Her credit card was taking a long time to go through and they stood there an kissed while they waited. It was kind of gross!
I met you at a book signing when your first book came out. That was a much better celebrity meeting 🙂

I was walking in NY with a friend on our lunch hour. As we passed a building, Rod Stewart cane walking out – he was in a shiny suit and we recognized him immediately. As he saw us looking at him, he gave us double finger guns. Then we all went on our way.

When I was a (weird) kid, I was obsessed with Jack Lemmon (IKR?!). Round about senior year in high school my French class went to NYC for a field trip, and we got to vote on a Broadway show we wanted to attend. My idiot classmates chose “42nd Street” instead of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” with, you guessed it, Jack Lemmon! (Fun fact: co-stars were Kevin Spacey and Peter Gallagher). Anyway, I was SUPER excited just to know I was going to be in the same city with Jack Lemmon! I imagine I drove my friends and my family absolutely bonkers during the lead up to the trip. I thought of nothing else.
At some point during the trip – maybe our first day – the teachers dumped all of us off in Times Square, ordered us to find dinner and meet up at the theater for “42nd Street” before the show started. What I remember of the meal was that I was too excited to eat, and kept bugging my friends to hurry so we could visit the theater where LDJiN was playing and get a photo of me standing outside. Eventually, we did make our way to the theater, and on our way we hatched a plan to buy tickets on our own and skip out on “42nd Street.” There were four of us, and two of my co-conspirators charged ahead towards the box office while my other friend, let’s call her “Tracy,” and I walked more slowly to take in the scenery. Just then, I glanced down an alley right next to the theater and saw…Jack Lemmon! At least, I was pretty sure it was him. I asked “Tracy” to verify which she did, BY screaming, “OH MY GOD, KRISTIN! IT’S JACK LEMMON. GET HIM!!!” so loud that even people on the other side of the street were startled. I. was. mortified. So, I did the only thing I could. I turned and ran back in the other direction. Hahaha! By the time “Tracy” caught up with me and got me headed back towards the theater, we could just see my other friends (who miraculously did not hear what had just happened) go into the theater, followed almost immediately by Jack Lemmon. Same door. They emerged just as we got there and looked dejected. No tickets. But we were like, “Did you see him? He walked in the door right behind you? Did you see him?” Needless to say, they had not noticed.
So, we took my photo in front of the theater and saw “42nd Street” after all.
There’s a nice ending to the story. Once I got home, I wrote a letter to Jack Lemmon care of the theater and apologized for something I figured he HAD to have noticed since it happened about 10 yards away from him. I also got in a bunch of gooey stuff about what a huuuuge fan I was. Reader, he wrote back! And I still have the letter.

I met one of the guys from Devo while working in a World of Science store in high school. We had a bizarre conversation where he explained who he was in great detail (“Have you ever seen the “Whip It” video? We wore red plastic hats!”) and teenage me remained clueless. He was not pleased that I wasn’t in awe of him.

I almost hit Julia Child with my car. She stepped off the curb without looking. I started cussing until she looked at me and I realized who she was. Still think it was pretty stupid to walk out into a busy street. But I would have felt awful to hurt my favorite TV cooking show host!

I met JENNY MOTHERFUCKING LAWSON at a bookfest here in Cincinnati. She signed my Furiously Happy book, and when I told her how much I was looking forward to the You Are Here coloring book, she told me, I couldn’t have done it without you. Which I realize she probably said to everyone who mentioned it, on account of how we’re all in this tribe together, you know. I also got a great photo with her.

— Which is different from the time I met Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. I paid $$$ for a meet and greet event (this was in like 2001) and he totally groped my butt, but also, when my husband (now ex) took the photo, it just shows us from the necks down. I went around the event and got in line again next to another fangirl I knew, and Dolenz was like, didn’t I just see you? And I explained about the photo and we took another one which appeared ok, but it was unrecoverable from the camera roll. That’s not why we divorced, but it may have been a contributing factor.

One time in the 80’s I was going to a party after my job working at a popular bar in Redondo Beach, CA. I stepped into the elevator of the condo complex where the party was, and there was Tommy Lee leaning up against the wall, completely wasted, smiling his head off & holding a six pack of Heineken. He greeted me like he totally knew who I was and started to tell me about something that happened that night, but I could not decipher what the hell he was talking about. I just smiled and said things like “Oh wow, that’s crazy…” and as I left the elevator he handed me the six pack and said “HAVE A GREAT NIGHT!”

I worked in film publicity for a short time and one of the movies I worked on was X-Men 2. I was an assistant and you learn quickly in Hollywood that many consider assistants to be below notice, so you keep a running mental list of the decent ones. I was working at the X2 premiere party, hanging out at the swank restaurant with coworkers and around the actors who’d come from walking the red carpet. The party didn’t really start until after the screening ended, so the crowd hadn’t arrived, the actors had seen the movie before so most skipped the screening. Alan Cumming has brought Geri Halliwell as his date to the premiere, but as he told us when he arrived alone at the party, she’d gone home after the red carpet as she’d had a colonic before the event and was experiencing , “anal leakage.” That story alone, and including the assistants in the group he rebaked with it, would have endeared him to me for life. But then he started in on how Fox had put Ian McKellen up at some incredibly fancy hotel in London when he did press for the movie, so fancy the toilet in his bathroom was golden. And he had a photo. He pulled out his camera to show us and started swiping through photos. Something, something, “cute boy I shagged,” and then the photo of Sir Ian, grinning next to a golden toilet. So if you’ve ever wondered, yes, Alan Cumming IRL is just like you’d hope he is.

I used to live in Colorado and I am a big Broncos fan. John Elway was playing in a golf tournament in Southern California years ago and I was in the galley watching. Before I knew it he started walking right toward me. I smiled stupidly, thinking “wow, how does he know I’m a fan from Denver!” Then he said hi and walked past me to where his ball was lying. Sooo embarrassed. >_<

Pres. Bush Sr sat RIGHT behind me in an empty pizza joint in Houston and kept kicking my purse. Secret Service sat across the restaurant. He was a regular at this restaurant. I was pissed! I know you ruled the greatest country but don’t go kicking my $35 purse from Mervyn’s. This was a long time ago when money was tight. Our friends finally joined us and once they realized who was behind me about shit their pants. They are big Republicans. I am not. He had skim milk with his pizza. YUCK! We moved tables because their dog was with them. He stopped to pet the dog as he was leaving our table outside. Made their day. I kept eating….

I was at dragon con. After an hour long panel with the stars of ‘warehouse 13’
Imade a mad dash to the potty. After I finished (so much relief!) I left the stall and ran smack dab into Allison Skaglioti(I’m sure I spelled it wrong) one of my favorite stars from the show. I blushed, mumbled “sorry” and ran out of the restroom. She was doing autographs on the walk of fame later, but I was so ashamed that she’d remember me as “the chick who ran me over in the toilets” that I didn’t get her autograph.

I was once run over by Richard Hatch (Apollo from the original BSG) at a different convention, he was leaving the autograph room with his supplies and ran over my foot with the suitcase of headshots.

And my favorite was the very first dragon con.
Husband and I were walking around the hotels trying to get our bearings, when we heard there were mermaids in the hotel pool. We head to the pool and take a wrong turn, ended up headed to the work out room. Where Lou Farigno was standing in the door waving at people. He was extremely nice!

I’m a retired librarian and have been to many library conferences in my day. Back in the day we weren’t known for our partying ways (in the 60’s the national library group was asked not to return to Las Vegas because they hadn’t spent enough $$). One year during a conference in Wichita KS a librarian friend and I got on an elevator to go up to a shelving sales rep’s suite where there was a bathtub full of ice and booze, and ALICE COOPER got on with us! He was very nice and talked with us a bit, so we invited him to the party. No snake, no chicken, just a nice guy. He didn’t make the party, but we got a good story out of it. Sending good thoughts for Dorothy Barker and your daughter. Gall bladders are bastards when they don’t work.

I’ve met members of my favorite band (Marillion) on many occasions but the most memorable was at a concert in the UK I was at the after show with my drunk friends (I was the only sober one) and the keyboardist came to talk to me. Drunk friend proceeded to join the conversation and essentially bully him in to complimenting my cleavage (“Hey Mark, aren’t THESE nice?”). I really wanted the ground to open up and swallow me at that point.

Flash forward almost 20 years to last Monday morning. Took a little trip locally to see the band and ended up in the same hotel both nights. I regretted my decision to wait until I got home to wash my hair and wear grungy clothing for the drive home when I went to have breakfast and ended up eating breakfast 5 feet from several of the members (including aforementioned keyboardist).

I’m the person who sees famous people in strange places. Emilio Esteves in a brewpub in Santa Rosa, Kelsey Grammer having tea in NYC, Richard Dawson, Jane Seymour and Gary Busey at Disneyland (not at the same time), Reggie Jackson on the street in Berkeley and Desi Arnez Jr at a URI Geller show. I rarely ask for autographs but I will say that most of them were very short except Reggie. I’ve also met a few of my favorite authors at book signings but these were more random, sightings and I figured they were better shares.

I saw Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins open for Red Hot Chili Peppers back in 1991. I got bronchitis because we slept outside all night to get front row tickets. During RHCP, Eddie Vedder came from off stage and dove into the mosh pit to crowd surf (most 90’s phrase ever?) and kicked me in the head when he jumped. Bronchitis=worth it!

Sorry to hear about your concerns. Is it a teaching hospital? I had an ultra sound at 8, I couldn’t get the whole wiping right, so they checked my bladder for damage and it was a teaching hospital. This meant med students got to play after the tech. That guy tried to ultrasound my lungs by stabbing me from under my ribs. I was lucky to be a skinny kid.

Okay celebs. Well I grew up in So Cal, that’s the hip way to say Southern California yo. When I was 14, I was lucky enough to have a cute and well off boyfriend. This meant I got to go to fancy places like golf clubs, church, and from time to time a nice restaurant. For whatever reason, we ended up in LA and Musso and Frank’s for a linner. I was new to fancy any thing and super nervous. I know you’re thinking it’s a restaurant they have food, claim down, but this was the first place I had ever been with a valet. It was amazing. So the waiter seats us in the main dining room and being a wee girl with nerves and the fear I would show this guy and his rich parents how much I could really put away, I drank a lot of water. Of course, I had to then go to the bathroom. I excused myself and hit the restroom. I don’t know if you’ve been to this place, but the bathroom is in the back through a smaller dinning area with booths with high backs for privacy. I walk through this maze and caught sight of Ron Howard and… George Clooney!! I couldn’t help but be star struck. Maybe they will see me and think she looks perfect for my next film. This thinking led me to end up in the bathroom at least 3 more times. I know my boyfriend’s mother thought I was either on drugs or had no bladder. And George noticed after the second time, I got a very “pretty” dirty look.

I met Eddie Mecca (Laverne & Shirley’s the big Ragoo) at an airport years ago. We started chatting. He’d recently been in the movie A League of their Own and talked about having to kiss Madonna among other fun stories. He mentioned that sometimes the ticket agent would recognize him and bump him up to first class. Our flight was very delayed, and when we reached the airport for our connecting flight I got to the ticket agent first. I smiled sweetly and told him our delay wasn’t his fault. He bumped me up to first class. I saw Eddie again, when we all got off the flight in Phoenix, (he’d been somewhere back in coach), and he said, “I guess they recognized you.” Cute, funny, nice guy.

Shortly after I had my daughter, I got the delightful opportunity to go Austin for the grand opening of a resort (Turtle Creek). After dinner we were treated to singing by Cab Calloway. As we were leaving, Cab was standing near the exit; when he saw me he serenaded me. It was and still is one of the best things ever. Well, that and getting to sleep in one of the Four Season king sized beds without a baby to pester me.

Ok, strap in. In college, I worked as an administrator in the Psychology Department at my school in Los Angeles, CA. The Psychology professors also sometimes had clinical practices and saw patients in their offices, which were on the lower two levels. These floors had restricted access because the animal rights groups would go down and trash the labs because some of the professors ran rats through mazes—complete with shock therapy—thus proving that rats don’t like this. And, neither do people, it turns out. So I was there during lunch and everyone in the office was out. Actually, probably everyone in the building was at lunch. I was a student and thus had no need for lunch. This woman shows up at the window wearing what can only be described as Rodeo Drive 80’s chic: big hair, sun glasses, animal print jacket, gold lame tank top, skin tight white jeans, gold lame mules. She comes up and states “You need to open the hall door because my HUSBAND and I have an appointment with Dr. Soinso.” I replied politely “You need an escort to go to the lower floors. I…” “Well then you NEED TO ESCORT US!” “Ma’am I can’t leave the office unattended and everyone is at lunch. Let me call him for you and he’ll come and get you.” I called and paged him. No answer. I told her “I’m sure he’ll be up to get you in a few minutes. Did you have an appointme….” “OF COURSE WE HAD AN APPOINTMENT!! You need to escort us down to his office RIGHT NOW.” “Ma’am, I can’t leave the office unattended…I’d be fired.” “Well I. Don’t.Care!!” (And now I’m thinking: And now I don’t care about you.) She continues, “LOOK. I have a CELEBRITY HUSBAND (gesturing down the hallway) and we can’t just have him being LOOKED AT BY EVERYONE WALKING BY!!!) I’m looking at her and trying to figure out which celebrity she’s married to, and nothing’s coming up. I’ll admit here, to you and your blog readers: I ain’t proud. I was curious so I leaned over the counter and looked down the hallway. And there, wearing a white fedora, white framed sunglasses, Hawaiian shirt and white pants was…. Jim Belushi! Keep in mind it was the 80’s, he really wasn’t that much of a celebrity back then. And here’s the thing: If you yell at me for no reason, and I have the ability to NOT help you WHILE FOLLOWING DEPARTMENT POLICY…guess what? You’re going to find yourself, standing in a hallway, with your celebrity husband. So I said “Huh! How about that…” and then looked back at her and said “But I’m sorry… I can’t let you down stairs unescorted.” She was just about to blow a gasket when the professor sidled up and said “I’m so sorry I’m late. I’ll escort you to my office now.” And she’s gushing “Oh Doctor! I have SO much to TELL YOU.” And Jim Belushi is pulling his white fedora down farther over his face in an attempt to disappear and vanished behind the door marked “Staff Only.”

I saw the movie Lost Boys when it came out in theaters and sat behind George Michael and his friends. I ALMOST touched his jacket leaving (swooney teenager at the time) but was too cool/scared to ask for a photo or even say hi.

George Takei – met him at a street festival in Chicago about 15 years ago, and he was taking the time to chat with every single person who wanted to meet him and snap a picture. I asked him to hold my barrel of monkeys monkey, explaining that it’s a thing my friends and I do, get the monkey pictures with celebs. I finished by saying “the monkey gets around.” George smiled and said “if he’s with you, I bet he does.” Took me a minute to realize it was a (joking) jab before everyone started laughing.

I met Harrison Ford when I was about three years old. Well, actually my head met his crotch.

Okay, so the story. My dad used to own his own small airport. During this time I used to look at planes like they were rollercoasters at Disneyland. Seriously, flying was my thing. Well, my dad needed some supplies for his business so we went to this other business/airport. When we got there I went running because I saw a plane and thought my dad was going to take me up flying. Not looking where I was going because I was three and didn’t care, I went head first into Harrison Ford’s crotch. My mom started to apologize rapidly, not letting the man talk. (I walked away to the plane I was heading towards because I was small and didn’t care.) It wasn’t until we were leaving my mom realized who it was I had very personally just met. She wanted to go back and ask for his autograph, but by then they were far enough away that my dad could drag her away.

I live near Calabasas, CA, aka home of the Kardashians and a slew of other celebrities, but I haven’t had that many celebrity encounters. (I do get a kick out of seeing celebrity photos in the weekly rags and going “Hey, Britney Spears is at MY Cheescake Factory, I recognize the store next door!”) But here are my four:

I was walking out of a matinee with my boyfriend and noticed a woman coming towards us wearing a really cute outfit. I looked up from her outfit to see that it was Shannen Doherty, and if looks could kill, I would have been slain on the spot, only to be revived by dark magic so she could do it all over again.
I was sitting outside at a restaurant with a group of friends. I had ordered a plain hamburger, and when it came, I bit into it only to find the meat had been mixed with onions. I hate onions so much you’d think they murdered my family, so I began gagging…much to the consternation of Giovanni Ribisi, who was sitting by himself at the table next to us. He asked my boyfriend, “Hey, is she alright, man?” and, upon being informed what was going on, he shook his head and said “That’s not cool, they should have said that on the menu.” I AGREE, GIOVANNI RIBISI, THANK YOU.
Saw Phil Margera at the grocery store and flipped out because I’m a HUGE Jackass fan. I shook his hand and gushed about Jackass. He was very nice.
Went to dinner at Kate Mantilini’s in Beverly Hills with my boyfriend and his parents, who were visiting from out of town. Lisa Kudrow was sitting next to us (side note: I JUST now realized how weird it is that two of my celebrity encounters were Phoebe from Friends and the guy who played her brother), and Mel Brooks was a few tables away. My boyfriend’s dad is a HUGE Mel Brooks fan and he was so excited by this sighting he was visibly trembling. We didn’t bother either Lisa or Mel because they were with their families and eating.

I sang in a community choir for MLK Jr. Day with Bobby McFerrin, and the Obamas showed up! That was pretty badass. I was awkwardly on crutches after getting hit by a delivery truck, so I was sitting at the front of the choir, and Bobby McFerrin chatted with me during his water breaks. Alas, I was also on a lot of painkillers and didn’t have anything very witty to say…

When I worked at Kennedy Space Center I saw John Denver (RIP) in the VIP section watching a Space Shuttle launch. At another job, Roger Staubach came to my workplace, saw my name tag and said his wife’s name was Marianne (spelled just like mine)!

Really old stuff because I’m really old I guess. My husband and I met Penn, of Penn and Teller, in the early ’80s when they weren’t too well known. We went to their show in Chicago and during intermission we went outside and there he was, having a smoke. He asked us how we liked the show, and we chatted for the whole break. He is a big guy to stand next to and he already had his one-pinky nail polish at that time.
Before that, I waited on Carol Burnett when she hosted a cast party at the restaurant where I worked a summer job. She called me “hon” and was very nice and a great tipper. I also had a job in a fancy gift store, and Jean Marsh, who played Rose on Upstairs, Downstairs, came in and bought a teapot. She was in town for a summer theater show. She complimented my gift-wrapping skills in her lovely English voice.

I was on one of the early episodes of Oprah’s book club. She flew me first class to Vermont, where I stayed at an amazing inn, ate lovely food, met Oprah and the author of the book and several really nice ladies who were on the show with me, and it was awesome. I was unemployed at the time, bored, and sad about not finding a good job- we had just moved to a small town, and I had left behind a great job. So I set being on the book club as a goal. It happened, and I realized that I have much more agency in my life than I had been feeling, and it really helped me get over the hump.

A friend of mine went to a comic book convention and met Jason Mews from Clerks and other Kevin Smith movies. I had a project due and couldn’t go. My friend told him that I couldn’t be there and Jason Mews called me on my cell phone and talked to me for like 10 minutes. He also signed a picture with: “School Rulez… Nooch!”

I was at a food and wine event in Seattle. These women were going crazy for this actor – so I said I’d take their pictures with him. I end up with like 5 cells phone. When I’m done taking the pictures he looks at me and asks “So what are you the paparazzi?” I knew he was an actor but not who he was and I didn’t like his tone so I replied “I’m sorry I know your an actor but I have no idea who you are” and walked away. When I went to leave the pavilion – just to rub it in – I asked him what show should I watch to see his work – his reply “Buy at TV”. Oh my Kyle Mclaughlin. That’s what I get for being a History/Discovery/Food channel junkie.

In 1993 I saw actor Hal Hobrook in a movie theatre with about 3 other people looking for seats together. I didn’t want to bother him so didn’t approach the group. I later read in local newspaper he was visiting relatives in our city.

I also met a Nobel Prize winning Chemist. He came into the college library where I worked to read journals and look up stuff. He came every summer to visit his Mom in our small town. Very professional guy and was always glad to talk to students about his research.

I’m a celebrity chef fanatic. One time I saw Alton Brown at the ATL airport. I didn’t want to bother him so I just stared at him from a distance like a weirdo. A few years later, I went to a book signing and met him. I was a giggly idiot and nearly peed myself. Luckily it was at a Williams Sonoma and they had all these bourbon samples out so I drank every sample I could get my hands on. It wasn’t pretty but I got a nice picture out of it.

Diana Ross brought me on stage to dance with her at a Las Vegas concert once. I’m not a great dancer, but I was right in front of the stage and I guess she liked the way I looked. It was a very surreal experience.

When my colleague was telling me that Torrey Smith was coming to our school to speak to our students, I said, “Who is she and what is she talking to them about?” HE gave a very nice talk about sportsmanship and what it is like to win TWO Superbowls

Don’t have a funny celebrity story, but yesterday the pond behind our house froze over, and my daughter and I watched ravens skate around. It was like watching something out of a dream. Love and light to you and your family. You rock, Jenny.

I can really only think of one celebrity encounter that might make you smile, Jenny.

Years and years ago, I worked at a fast food place in the food court of a local mall. At the time, Marc Summers (of Nickelodeon’s Double Dare fame) was hosting some kind of show on the Game Show Network aimed at college kids. SOMEBODY, in their infinite wisdom, decided to take the thing on a mall tour (because they had timewarped back to the 80s? I have no idea.) and the mall I worked at was one of the stops.

ANYWAY..I’m working on hand out and I call out a random number. This guy who looks an AWFUL lot like Marc Summers comes to get his bags of food.

Me: ZOMG! Holy shit do you know who you look JUST like?

Guy who looked an awful lot like and probably WAS Marc Summers: Uh..yes?

He grabbed his bags of food and practically racewalked away from my counter. I felt like SUCH an idiot.

I walked past John Ratzenberger (Cliff, from Cheers) coming out of a supermarket once back in the very early 90’s. It hit me that’s who it was after I’d entered and he’d left. I didn’t go back out to say hello because, at the time, I was a kid, and I didn’t know his name. Ahhh. See what I did there.

Jenny, what i want to know is if you had the presence of mind to ask Dan Rather “What’s the frequency, Kenneth!!” I am sure he would have found it hilarious. And when i was the guest of the CEO of Churchill Downs at the Derby I met Bobby Knight, Daryl Hannah, John Forsythe, and had dinner with Wynona Judd. None of them appeared impressed with meeting me.

Rocky Kanaka did a makeover of the kennel I worked at for Save our Shelters.
Cool program, and great for our rescue, but lets just say reality TV has very little reality. Also, many, many, many years ago, my Aunt met Due to Hoffman. He gave her his socks. I wonder if she still has them.

I rode in an elevator with Richard Simmons. I had just bought new bedding, so I filled up nearly the whole elevator with pillows and a comforter etc, etc.. but he squeezed in. Luckily he is a small man who wore his staple short shorts and tank top. we rode a few floors together while he cracked jokes about my abundance of bedding.. He offered to help me to my car. He was a very sweet, lovely man.

I impressed Steven Tyler by reading the Aerosmith autobiography in less than a day. This was discussed during a phone call with him – back in my college days. He called back, but dialed my home number instead of the dorm, and spoke to my mom. When he tried to leave a message, he kept saying, “But I’m Steven Tyler. I’m in a band. It’s called AEROSMITH,” and my mother just said, “Ok, that’s nice, I’ll tell her you called.” It clearly caught him off-guard that she didn’t know/care who he was. Does that help or do I need to tell you the Barry Williams or John Cusack story, too?

Oh, Jenny, I’m so sorry. What a world of worry. At least you know what you’re worrying about. I’ve been worrying all day and I still can’t figure out why.
I attended a Victor Borge concert when I was in high school. I met him after the show to get his autograph and I told him that I had all of his records. He said “What a lucky girl you are.”
A few years ago, I saw Itzhak Perlman in concert. (I was underwhelmed, to say the least, but he’s getting old.) When I was next to get his autograph, I jokingly asked if I could kiss his ring. He looked at me with a straight, non-humorous face and said no.

I was walking through the Tuileries in Paris, and a little boy ran in front of me, tripped over his own feet, and fell down. I bent down to see if he was okay, just as the boy’s dad rushed forwards to scoop him up and carry him away. It took me a minute to figure out why the man looked so familiar. It was Ethan Hawke. Incidentally I also saw Mr. Hawke later that week while I was getting gelato, and the week after in a coffee shop.

In restaurants, saw Heather Locklear at an Italian one and then watched Clint Eastwood steal a french fry off a plate of a friend at his restaurant in Carmel. Passed by a pissed-off looking Doc Severinsen at Burbank Airport. Talked to Phil Lesh at a bookstore in Denver. And then as a teenager, my boyfriend’s father was a producer for the Dinah Shore show. I was introduced to Bob Barker on his set. He seemed okay but I remember lots of makeup and a limp handshake.

Katie Couric stopped me once when we were doing fire drills at the college where I work because she saw the commotion. She asked me what was “going down” and I explained that it was just a fire drill. I must not have showed suitable recognition, because she said, “Oh. I thought I was going to have to call my NEWS ROOM.” Right. I got it.

I was in the mall years ago and heard a distinctive voice next to me. It was Tone Loc picking out a shirt to wear on stage that night here in Humboldt County. I gave my opinion and he told me I was a “nice lady”. Hope he sang Funky Cold Medina in that shirt.

She’s not really a celebrity, and it wasn’t really an encounter… BUT! I live in Portland, Oregon and our beloved downtown toy store used to have a huge table in the back with one of each of their windup toys (dozens) for you to test drive. My dad and I were back there playing one day at lunch (as we were wont to do), looked over and standing next to us playing with the windup toys was Ursula K. Le Guin. We nudged each other but decided not to bother her. It made me happy then and now.

I get to hang out with my favorite author for a few minutes whenever she posts to her blog. It’s usually random craziness about stuffed animals, real pets with really cool nes and her husband and daughter who love her to the moon and back!

I hung out and smoked cigarettes with Eric Burdon and the Animals in a hotel lobby bar -they were completely ignored except by me- all the other 14 year olds were trying to climb the balconies to get to Herman’s Hermits, who they were touring with…
… or the time I pretended to be the mayor and got invited to Huey Lewis’s Hotel Party- he was so gracious and wanted to talk about trout fishing all night- probably because he thought I was Mayor…
and then there was the time…

Mine is sports related. I was at the baseball winter meetings, trying to pretend I wasn’t slightly drunk. I was talking to a group of guys and suddenly felt someone lean against my back…like I was a wall and was holding them up. I looked at the guy next to me and he said “Oh, it’s just George.” A very drunk George Brett (pre-recovery) was propped up against my back. I put my drink down on the table beside me and George picked it up and used it as a spit cup. I was crushed that a guy I watched on tv with my dad was so unimpressive in real life.

I met Robbie Williams in a bar after he headlined a small town music festival… he was just as much of a pompous ass as you might expect.
Most of the Spirit of the West band members signed the cast on my broken arm after their concert.
And I sold garden plants and potting soil to Maury Chaykin one summer. He was lovely, and surprised to be recognized as the guy from “Whale Music”, given that he’d since acted in much better know films….

One time my boyfriend and I were having a fight and I ended up making out (in front of him) with this random guy at the bar. The guy was an incredible kisser, amazing at karaoke, and told me he worked in comedy. He seemed like he was wearing a disguise with a wig and makeup. There was something familiar about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

A few days later, my boyfriend and I patched things up and started to piece together the details of that night and the mysterious stranger. We are both now 99% certain that it was Jimmy Fallon!! And now my boyfriend is totally cool with me making out with him that night. That was my one celebrity pass! Ha!

I baked scones for Ozzy Osbourne! My cousin was driving a tour bus from LA to Vegas, and Ozzy was craving scones, so my cousin told him that I lived in Vegas & could bake him some. So, my cousin calls me at 2am to ask…I could hear Ozzy in the background saying “She doesn’t know how to bake a fucking scone!” But I did!! I asked if he wanted current or cream scones, and would he like some lemon curd…then heard Ozzy say “I..I..guess she DOES know how to bake a fucking scone!” Next day, I took them to UNLV’s Thomas & Mack stadium where an Ozz-Fest was happening in 2000! While on the tour bus, Ozzy was holding his teacup, gazing out the bus window to watch all the extreme Marylin Manson fans with their crazy harsh makeup & piercings…and Ozzy says: “I’ve never felt so fucking normal in my life!”

Some doink, who shall remain nameless, thought a Norwegian flag was a confederate flag and reported it to a new agency. This was in Ballard a suburb of Seattle and where a huge number of Scandinavians live. Uff da.

Back in the mid-90’s, I saw Robert Downey Jr. at LAX getting off of a Southwest flight. A chauffeur was waiting for him, holding a huge “DOWNEY JR.” sign (very inconspicuous). This was right before his prison stints for drugs; he was really nice and possibly high.

Harry Chapin kissed me on the lips. I was a college student being an assistant to the roadies, so I could see the concert for free. He always signed things for the audience after the show, and when he was coming across the stage afterwards, I said, “Hey, Harry, would you sign my shirt?” He agreed, so I handed him a pen, turned around and hunched my shoulders so he could sign my shirt. When I turned back around, he handed me my pen and kissed me on the lips!!

I met Catherine Tate at Denver Comic-Con last year and she’s just simply wonderful. I was waiting in a really long line to get her autograph, playing a game on my phone, and I saw someone walking down the exit line. I didn’t think much of it at first, since it was the exit line, but then as they got closer, I realized it was her. She had to use the restroom, as she’d been herded to the autograph session immediately upon arriving at the con, and instead of just leaving her post to go, she took the time to personally apologize to EVERY SINGLE PERSON in that line before she left. Later that evening, some friends of ours ran into her in downtown Denver while getting ice cream and she was just as sweet. She even took selfies with them both 🙂

Growing up in southern California, I have had many celebrity encounters. Most of them were either at work or in a bar. I met Luke Perry at one of my jobs, he was incredibly polite and laid back; his son is one of the most physically beautiful humans I’ve ever seen and was just as nice as his dad. However, one of my favorite stories is about Tony Shaloub. A large group of my friends were regulars at the local dive-y pub and we were all congregated around the bar on a busy Saturday night when in strolls Monk. I honestly don’t know if he thought we couldn’t hear him over the band or if he was trying to be heard… in any case, he says pretty loudly “Oh wow, so this is a real blue-collar working man’s bar, huh?”. He then proceeded to order food that wasn’t on the menu and complain about how long it was taking to get.

My husband and I were walking down Broadway in NYC after a performance of Phantom of the Opera when he bumped shoulders with a man walking in the opposite direction. I started squealing like a little girl, “Do you know who that was???? It was TIM CURRY!!!!” He was starring in Spamalot at the time, and we were fortunate to see him starring in that show a few months later.

Here’s my famous encounter:
In the mid 2000’s, Dan Aykroyd did a bus tour through Houston with a high profile Vodka vendor. They stopped at every bar and gave out free shots (and free pictures). I had no idea this was happening, but luckily I was dressed up for a night on the town (black and red polka dotted 1930s dress, and long black hair with Bettie bangs). I was feeling very confident…and very tipsy. When he walked in, I heard people murmuring. He was so tall, I could see him over the crowd. I’m 5’2”. I never see over ANYthing. I fearlessly walked up to him, shook his hand and said how much I adored him. He smiled and said, “Come here, sweetheart!” He spun me around and sat me down between his legs for a photo op. Then he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug. My phone had died moments before the picture had been taken, so a random person took the photo and I asked them to text it to me. The lighting was so terrible the photo didn’t take. I was so sad. The one thing I remember about Mr. Aykroyd, other than his infectious smile and towering height, is that he has the largest, softest hands of any man I’ve ever met.

Living i NYC makes this a bit easier but here are a few for you….
Gave the Today show the finger walking to work last week – live and on air
Have run into Jackie Mason in a number of bars and places going out – not sure what this says about him or ME
Tom Hanks leaving a restaurant very early in his career – i spotted him and he RAN – i had no intention of even going near him – but he’s very scared
Al Pacino – my old beau was his driver so i was planted at a movie theater when he roared up to run out of the car and go in…well worth it to see him in a white suit and…HEADBAND
Dancing in a club – Keith Harring (Because while everyone plays the Kevin Bacon game, in NYC if you went out to the clubs in the 80’s you met Keith at SOME point)

My company once hired Clinton Kelly (What not to Wear) to do makeovers & then emcee a runway show. He was very nice, funny and took the time to talk to us about our styles, hobbies, etc. He spent extra time with everyone. Picked out a very edgy outfit for me that still complied with the company dress code.

Last year on a trip to LA to visit friends, we all annoyed Jesse Tyler Ferguson by accident in a coffee shop in Hollywood. The four of us walked in right before him, trying to decide what we wanted and he seemed a bit in a hurry so they just let him go first. He was out of there in a flash.

I went to school in Athens, GA in the 90’s, and it was basically everyone’s goal to see Michael Stipe from R.E.M. in the wild at some point. I finally saw him in a local dive bar, the last bar of my 21st birthday pub crawl. My friend nudged me and whispered “Look! It’s Michael Stipe!!” My response was to point aggressively and say, in my best outside voice (because alcohol), “WHO, THAT SKINNY BALD GUY??” I did not get a picture.
My husband was the sober one escorting a drunk friend on the street in downtown Athens, when his friend spotted Stipe and screamed “HOLY SHIT! IT’S THAT SHINY HAPPY MOTHERFUCKER!” So at least I didn’t say that?

My husband and I were gambling in Vegas. While we were sitting at a blackjack table, Cuba Gooding Jr sat down to play. I whispered to my husband who was sitting beside him but he didn’t believe me. Another man sat down at our table and everyone introduced themselves to one another and he said “hi I’m Cuba”. Later that night we went to see Rita Rudner and a couple of seats down from us was Ann Margret. We didn’t approach – she was there to enjoy the show just like the rest of us (Rita Rudner is hilarious for those of you who haven’t seen her). My husband won pretty big at the casino that night. All in all a great trip!

I was working out at my gym and Joe Thiesman came in and started working out next to me. My trainer told me not to bother him so I didn’t.
Also, I went to college with Ralph Sampson. He walked by me while I was sitting outside on a sunny day. I said hi and he said hi back.
Also, I was on the “Ranger Hal” show in 1965. He was famous then in the Washington, DC, area.
The end.

Let’s see…I’ve met a Texas Governor – Mark White. I nearly met Al Gore (we both deplaned @ gates side-by-side in Atlanta many years ago)…and as a kid, I met the baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan before all his no-hitters. My brother & his son were on the same soccer team…the Crab Legs (yeah, the kids chose it)…they had a perfect or near-perfect record…lost all or nearly all their games! One time @ practice, I ran to my dad to get money for a coke & he’s chatting with another dad. As I began to interrupt, my dad stopped me & said “Chelle, do you know who this is?” I shook my head. “He’s the Astros’ pitcher, Nolan Ryan.” Dad gave me a meaningful look that meant ‘be mannerly’ so I turned & said, “Hi Mr Ryan, nice to meet you.” Then I whipped around to my dad & asked “Dad, can I have money for a Coke?”. He gave me the money & I ran off, none the wiser that I’d met a man destined to be one of the greatest baseball pitchers ever,( if not THE greatest).

I saw Jon Stewart in Washington Square Park playing with his kid. I made this like big-eyed “oh you’re famous” face and he smiled at me and we both went on our way like nothing had happened. Which, nothing had.

A friend and I planned to go to Placido Domingo’s restaurant Pampano in NYC last October. All day I kept saying we were going to see Placido. She would roll her eyes and say just because he owns the restaurant doesn’t mean he just hangs out there. I told her that when he finds out we are there, he will show up. Cue more eye rolling. We were just finishing up our (delicious) dinner, when who walks in? I was calm, but my friend freaked out so badly that he actually came over to our table. (I think it was less obtrusive than calling security). He was suave and charming and just all around dreamy.

I worked as an usher at an outdoor music venue in the mid-90s. One evening, I was assigned to the entrance of the VIP area, so I had to check that everyone entering the VIP area had the right kind of pass. One guy tried to get past me without a VIP pass, but I wouldn’t let him through. He pulled the classic line, “Don’t you know who I am?”
(narrator: She did not know who he was.)
It was Danny Bonaduce. I didn’t recognize him, and I didn’t let him through until another usher came over and told me who he was. I was embarrassed but also mad.
Long story short… Danny Bonaduce is an ass who threatened to have me fired for doing my job.

I was at The Memorial Golf Tournament in Columbus, Ohio and met pro golfer Brandt Snedeker. I was sitting out of bounds near the green and the ball he hit landed on my knee and bounced back into play. At the start of the next hole he signed the ball and gave it too me- seemed like a nice guy. I very painfully limped back to the car after the tournament. 🙂

I have a couple of Wil Wheaton ones. One year (this was over a decade ago, closer to two) He was at a Con in Tulsa OK. I, my sister and a bunch of online friends who all knew each other through his online forum (it was a thing, long gone now) who lived in the general area of OK were all going to be attending so we decided to have a meet. On his forum, he was the HMIC (Head Monkey In Charge) so the rest of us called ourselves Monkeys. We were going to be spending evenings doing fun stuff together as a group all weekend so it was a Big Deal(tm) to us, geeks that we were/are. On Saturday, we planned to get together, and so that we could make it as celeb-friendly as possible, we rented a side room at a local bar and invited him to come hang for a while, no pressure. He didn’t show. We all had a blast anyway, and my sister had a custom-made T-shirt and we all signed it.

Sunday. Several of us go to his autograph line. (We were nothing if not loyal). I waited off to the side while my sister went, wearing the t-shirt she had us all sign. When she got up to the front, she stripped off the shirt (luckily, she was wearing a tank top underneath). Anne’s jaw dropped (Wil’s wife) his eyes popped and I tried desperately to evaporate into an invisible mist so that no one would ever know I was related to/with this incredibly tacky creature. Alas, I failed.

The second time I met Wil Wheaton, it was a few years later, and he was at a Con closer to where I live. I attended with my husband and baby son. Went through the line, identified myself as a Monkey with a baby Monkey. He kindly took a picture with us, even held my son. I did NOT remind him of the previous incident.

2 years ago I met Nathan Fillion at a Comic Con. He was incredibly charming, and for some reason I always feel the need to tell people how incredibly shiny his hair is – it’s practically ethereal. The next morning, my hubby & I were in an elevator with David Anders (who was either intensely hung over and/or possibly still somewhat drunk) and he was raving to his assistant about his toque… How it was the best purchase he’d ever made, because it was great for keeping his head warm, and if his head was warm enough on its own, then it was a great big pocket to carry his stuff around in, because he sometimes has too many things to fit in his actual pockets.

Many years ago, I was out dancing at a Seattle club called the Fenix Aboveground to my favorite blues band, the Duffy Bishop band, and I ended up dancing with the actor from the show Northern Exposure who played the character Chris…the radio host and all around philosopher on the show.

I was a little girl waiting in the airport with my mother. A man walks past waving and surrounded by all these women. I ask my mom who he was. She tells me it’s some dude called Englebert Humperdinck, which already sounds bad enough. It gets worse when she tells me that women liked to throw their underwear on stage while he’s performing. In retrospect it was probably the first I was legit puzzled and grossed out simultaneously.

David Letterman once almost knocked me over in a CVS and then glared at me like it was my fault. Also, I saw Gene Wilder at a record store in my hometown. He was super-nice to everyone and had an adorable dog with him.

Mine is rather lame, but I’ll join in. A few years ago, the drummer for Blink-182 got into a plane crash & suffered bad burns. Turns out he came to a burn unit in my home town of Augusta, GA. At the time, I worked at Target. I was just doing my thing, when I see a girl who looks an awful lot like Mandy Moore. I said to myself, “What the hell would Mandy Moore be doing in Augusta?” and went about my way. I kept glancing at her though. Because of my anxiety & disbelief, I didn’t say anything. I later read an article about how Mandy Moore visited Travis Barker in the hospital. It was very funny because literally NO ONE was talking to her, probably because no one actually believed she was in Augusta.

Jenny I think you will like this one….Back in the 80’s I was a waitress close to a place where there had concerts…I waited on Wolfman Jack and he was an ass and he blew his nose in the cloth napkin…and laid it back on he table and didn’t tip..I know you shouldn’t speak ill of the dead….but!

I wrote Kiefer Sutherland a parking ticket once. He apparently thought that he didn’t have to pay the meter (I may have fangirled a little when he passed me at the entrance), but regulations are regulations.

He hardcore lost his shit. I’m surprised video didn’t end up on YouTube.

About 30 years ago I was working at a hotel in Maryland and Tina Turner and her chauffeur stopped in to have lunch in our dining room. It was after 2:00 in the afternoon so the dining room was “officially” closed before being reopened for dinner so it was just Tina and her driver eating lunch. She graciously signed autographs and chatted with those of us that were working that day.

I was in a community theater production of “Oliver!” with Jesse Eisenberg when he was about 10 and I 15 (He was Oliver, I was Bet). Years later, I found out from an interview he gave that his great aunt grew up in the same town in Poland as my great grandmother, and I got in touch via a mutual friend so that I could put our parents in touch about that. I behaved like a proud momma.

33 years ago I was sitting in the Albany NY airport with my then 3 year old daughter flying home to WNY last minute because my daughter had a rash that a pediatric dermatologist (yeah, they had those 33 years ago and you could see one without a referral or a $50 copay) could not diagnosis.

I was scared out of my mind because I was pretty young and my baby had some kind of downstate jungle rot that a guy who went to school for childhood rashes couldn’t name.

So there I sat, probably looking like as pale as almond milk sorbet when a set of eyebrows attached to a man sat down next to me. It was Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes fame. He asked me if I was okay because I seemed upset, and after telling him the whole rash story in one breathless sentence, he patted my hand and proceed to tell me crazy stories about the famous people he had met during his career for the next 45 minutes until my flight was boarding. He was 66 at the time.

26 years later when he passed away, I cried a little for the loss of such a kind soul.

The rash? It ended up being prickly heat which lead to my life long distrust of pediatric dermatologists and Albany NY.

I grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho and saw many celebrities, but the most memorable was when Clint Eastwood came to our house. My dad had invented some tiny pocket reading glasses, and Clint wanted to buy a couple dozen of them for party favors. He shook my hand, sat on our couch, and threw the ball for our dog. Soft spoken, down to earth. And TALL. Great guy.

I don’t know if this counts but I’ve met a few WWE wrestlers…. back in the day I was really into it and even wanted to be a wrestler. Anyways, I was obsessed with Jeff Hardy for a really long time and after the show he was outside signing autographs and I went complete fan girl and gave him this ring I was wearing (cheap teenager ring from Claire’s or something) and he kinda paused and looked around and decided to give me his gum…. which I took and put directly into my mouth. I’m not proud of this now, but at the time I sure was. Also before John Cena got big I shook his hand. Hope this disgusting fan girl story helps! Xoxoxox

My parents and I were walking in Central Park, and we walked right past Angelina Jolie taking a carriage ride with her kids. I felt sorry for them, because even then, they were being hounded by photographers.
I have a friend who chatted with LaVar Burton in an elevator.
I went to college with David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones the filmmaker, but I didn’t know him at all. But David Bowie was at my college graduation so there’s that.

When I was 12 we went to Benihana in Studio City for my moms birthday. We sat at the teppan table with a bunch of other people but there was one empty seat left next to me. The hostess sat an elderly gentleman next to me who said hello in this amazing brogue. It was freaking Jimmy Doohan. We need more power Mr Scott. He was the sweetest man ever. He told stories through dinner and convinced this banana hater to try his dessert, right from his fork. Good memories of a gentle soul.

In high school, I met Don Henley. The whole scenario about how this happened is too long to go into, involving promises made to teenagers for amazing fundraising efforts. He was not nice. This story saddens my husband, because he loves The Eagles, even with all their drama.

I used to work on the MGM movie lot, so we saw celebrities all the time, and it didn’t phase me. But one day I stopped dead in my tracks, and said OMG that’s Mel Brooks! My friend who was with me at the time thought it was crazy that THAT’S the one that impressed me.

Years ago my sister and I saw Kevin Spacey standing outside of a theater. We had a discussion about whether or not it was him, and openly gaped at him like infants do to strangers. He saw us, got clearly uncomfortable, and walked away. Neither of us are really fans, we just were trying get to figure out if it was him. It was.

Ugh, girl, I have been there from all sides. Was racked with stomach problems when I was little, both parents had so many organs removed, I lost count (as well as losing both of them very young). I lost my puppy last year, as well.

Your lil’ guy and girl are going to be fine, though. It sounds like they are both in good hands…but so brutal to watch them suffer.

Okay, so celebrity sightings. Here’s an excerpt from a post, “Whipped Cream”:

I don’t know if I’ve met a celebrity. I’m oblivious to a bunch of stuff. Someone would have to point it out to me.

However, the lesbian chef at my clients university might have flirted with me the other day. She noticed and complimented my hair, which no one ever does. It wasn’t till later I realized she might have been flirting with me.

I met Puddles Pity Party after his awesome show in my area last November. He takes time to meet with all his fans after each show, and is wonderful with everyone. That voice coupled with the humor he incorporates for the live stage is pretty impressive. Btw.., I used to be very leery of clowns until Puddles came along. He’s really redefined the clown caricature into something worth watching. This clip might be the best thing you see today. That note near the end? Wow!

Mine aren’t super interesting (I met Andy Weir and Christopher Lloyd at a con once), but I’m 98% sure I sat behind Lily Tomlin on a Southwest flight once. Also I met Lorenzo Lamas at a family reunion when I was like 7. I totally have a picture of little me and Renegade-era Lorenzo with his long hair and a fabulous silk shirt.

Sending sympathy.
Celebrity encounters – last year I went to a one man show Sir Ian McKellen did. At the end he asked for volunteers and a bunch of us got to go on stage. I went, so I can honestly claim I have performed on stage alongside Ian McKellen. (And he held my hand for the curtain call!)

A few years ago I got to drive Pat Rothfuss to a signing – he’s a lovely man, and really friendly.

Another time I was at a convention where George RR Martin was GoH. I happen to have a couple friends who are friends of his, so I ended up getting introduced (twice) and having a long conversation, which was nice. (I’ve never seen or read any of GoT..)

Also Neil Gaiman, who makes a wonderful cup of tea, and gives the best hugs 🙂

(although my favourite is my brother-in-law’s encounter. He once pointed a gun at Prince Charles. Completely legit. As he says, if they put you on guard duty at a military facility and tell you to be strict about security, you can’t then complain if you take a robust approach to people who show up un-announced without proper ID.)

I was eating at a local restaurant and Tammy Faye Baker was eating at a table behind my family. She reapplied her lipstick multiple times during her meal and had on just as much makeup as you’d expect from her TV appearances.

Back when I was single & hot, & living in LA, Oscar de la Hoya & his entourage tried to get me to go party w/ them in their limo. I was having none of it. I said, “I don’t date midgets.” That did not go over well.

Not my story but my husband got to meet you, for me! He was in Ontario and I was in NY with our son. I couldn’t get to your book signing but he was able to get to one in Toronto. He had no idea who you were but ended up loving you. Sad part of the story is he is legally blind and can’t drive. He rode his new expensive bike to a train station to get to the city to see you and when he got back the bike was stolen.

I am a huge fan of all things ghost. I had the opportunity to meet Britt Griffith, who was on Ghost Hunters. I creepily blurted out “I recognized you by your tattoos” in a stalkerish way. He was a very nice man despite my awkwardness.

I met Boxcar Willie once when his bus broke down and it was brought to the company I worked for. Long story short – he was a dick. Also, his music was horrendous as well. In case you care to check out his dicky horrendousness here’s a link. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though. :o)

I live in LA and was hiking with a visiting friend. We decided to take a loop instead of an out and back I’d done before. When it seemed like we’d never reach the parking lot, I asked a hiker coming the other way if we were getting close. She assured us it wasn’t much farther. (She lied but that’s another story.) Behind the hat and sunglasses, that (mostly) helpful hiker was Hilary Swank.
That was a much better encounter than the time I started chatting up a guy at the grocery store, thinking he was an administrator at my daughter’s school. He said kindly “I think you have me confused with someone else?” I told him who I thought he was, and he said “No, I’m Dennis Haysbert.” We had been seeing him every week on “24” which is why he looked so familiar. I sheepishly said “love your show”–then proceeded to cross paths with him THREE MORE TIMES as we cross-crossed our way through the store. Oy.

I met Tom Hanks when I had no pants on 🙂 This was a long time ago, I went skiing with my friend and boyfriend, had a bad fall, twisted my knee and had to be taken off the mountain by ski patrol. 😦 They took me to the E.R. at the resort and had me sitting on a table with my ski pants off, but a blanket covering me. The movie “Splash” was a few years old. (Yes, it was that long ago and I am that old) Anyway, Tom’s son had also had a bad fall that day and was taken care of by the E.R. staff. Tom came in and thanked all of the staff for taking such good care of his son. I had been crying, looked like hell with a blanket covering my luckily clean underwear. He looked at me and smiled, I wanted to ask him for his autograph, but was too chicken to ask. He was a class act then and still is today as far as I am concerned, but I met him in my underwear and get funny looks. 🙂 Hope your family feels better soon, furry and non-furry.

Once when I was drunk leaving a friend’s birthday party at a very fancy restaurant, Tyler Perry held a door open for me. As I was walking out, I looked up at him (dude is TALL and I am not) and said, “Why, thank you, Tyler Perry.”

And then I tripped over his shoe and fell flat on my face. It was a very dignified.

I went to a Rancid show back when they first started out and it was sold out and we were all sad and standing outside the venue, and I noticed Lars Frederickson walk out one of the side doors so I ran over and kinda fangirled at him, and he went to their tour van and got me a bunch of t-shirts and took me and my friend into the show. Punk is never dead.

I have two: I was at a bar and wanted a drink and so squeezed myself between two people to try to get served by the bartender, who was super busy. John Goodman to my left said he thought I might have better luck than he had!! Who wouldn’t serve him?????!!!???
I was in a Starbucks in Toronto and saw a guy who looked super familiar, like I thought he went to my high school or something, but I couldn’t place his face… then, another customer walked up and asked Mike Myers for his autograph and I suddenly remembered who he was!! Groovy baby!!

I was a legal secretary at a big entertainment law firm in the early 90s. My boss was negotiating Gene Kelly’s prenup (he was 80 at the time & about to marry the 32-year-old who was ghostwriting his autobiography). He was a very kind, sweet man & we’d chat briefly on the phone whenever he called for my boss. One day he came into the office, and my boss introduced me to him as I delivered the prenup to the conference room. Gene immediately stood up, shook my hand, and performed an impromptu soft shoe dance for me right there in the conference room, while singing a little ditty that he made up on the spot that rhymed with my name. I was blown away! Dude still had it going on at 80 — handsome, charismatic, and I dunno — “twinkly” is the word that best described him. Definitely still had megawatts of star power.

I am the worst at movie stars/celebrities etc. But I work retail in Vancouver and we frequently get celebrities in our store. I often don’t recognize them beyond the “I know they’re famous”.

But Trevor Linden (prob the most famous hockey player in Vancouver) comes in occasionally and he once spent 5 minutes massaging my friend’s hand as she tried on ski gloves for him “to see if they would fit his wife”. He also sat across from me in spin class once and I basically spent the whole hour trying not to stare at his ass and then could not get out of there fast enough to text my friend.

Also, every year I work as a manager for a rugby tournament so I get to hang out with the players all week (who are “famous” to a certain set of fans I guess) and we stay in a high-profile hotel in the city where all the movie stars also stay while they’re filming. One year while we were there, Dakota Johnson was staying there (one of the 50 Shades movies was filming) so I saw her almost daily (she was always slightly bitchy. I never said anything to her).
Also, because of it’s notoriety as a “celeb hotel” there are often hordes of young teenage girls outside waiting for whomever they think is staying there. Obviously the early-20’s rugby guys think it’s hilarious to moon all the teens out of their hotel windows. Needless to say, the teens had no real idea who all these boys were and kinda hightailed it outta there quickly after that.

Well, the boring one is that when he was running for Governor of Louisiana, David Duke sat at the next table in an IHOP in New Orleans. The fun one was that once I went to a book reading and signing, and I got to meet my favorite author and tell her she was my hero. You still are, Jenny!

Saw Danny Devito & Rhea Perlman with their small child at Disneyland. My small son was in the aisle & stopped right in front of their stroller. They were nice enough to not run him over so I smiled & nodded at them. Also sat behind Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess at the screening of “Stardust” during Comic Con in San Diego. It was a great show!

I was once asked by a friend to babysit Eddie Fisher after his [now infamously botched, kinda like Kenny Rogers’] face lift. I said no. Friends don’t ask friends to babysit post op has been celebrities.

My wife and I saw Alice Cooper and his wife in a grocery store late at night a few years back. Just grocery shopping like an ordinary couple. No one bugged them while they shopped and they seemed very happy together. It was nice to see what he’s like when he’s not in character.

One time I was in a hot tub with Dax Shepard in New Zealand. This was before I knew who he was. I was taking a break from Peace Corps in Micronesia. He was filming a movie. He seemed like a nice guy. You and your girl really need to try a good family naturopathic practice please!

I was on jury duty with George Carlin. We participated in the same voir dire but neither of us were chosen for that jury panel. When one of the attorneys asked his occupation he said actor (as opposed to comedian. This was in the 90s, when he was on a sitcom).

I met you!! I was so nervous at a book signing and talk you did in California!! I was so happy/scared/excited to meet one of my favorite authors, I blurted out and had you sign my book with something about burglery bobcats . (you were having stalker bobcat issues at the time) and would love to have a coloring book of your art. I loved your reading of chapters from your book, you were amazing! I hope everyone feels better soon 🙂

Bill Nye did a show in my town one New Years’ Eve. The next morning we saw him in the hotel restaurant having breakfast, and my sister and I and our two best friends went over to ask him to sign some Bill Nye trading cards we had. He refused because he didn’t want to be bothered. The 4 of us under 12 were the only people in the restaurant who were children and weren’t hung over af. He sent us away with, “cool cards, though.”

tl;dr Bill Nye is a dick and I’ve spent the last 20 years telling people.

I got to meet Meatloaf (the musician, not the food) once. I went to see him perform on my birthday and a mutual friend (Meatloaf’s best friend) asked him to wish me happy birthday during the concert. He did and it was a complete thrill! That same friend arranged for me go meet him after the show and He pointed his finger at me and said ” Listen, I have never F&^ing done that before, and I’ll never F&^ing do that again” “It get’s me out of character, I don’t get out of character during my show!” Then he gave me a hug and took a picture with me. It was AWESOME!

I met NPH at a book signing. When he walked by where we were standing in line(not even close to us), I turned bright red. My friends thought it was hilarious.

I was once on a cruise thrown by the band Barenaked Ladies. One of the acts on the boat was Harland Williams. We were waiting by the elevator to go up to the buffet for food and I told my friend what I was planning to get, using a family term that isn’t exactly PC. She burst out in uncontrollable laughter, right as Harland Williams walked around the corner, so it seemed like she was laughing at him. She tried to explain to him what we were laughing at, and he just stared at us like we were crazy.

Jean Martin (1919-2004) was an American singer and actor. Born in Texas, she moved to New York and worked in radio and television during the 1950s. She was married to William Black, who was the founder of the Chock full o’Nuts restaurant chain and coffee brand.
Not much, Jenny, but it’s all I’ve got.
It was in the early to mid 60s, and I was an impressionable teenager when I met Jean Martin. She was visiting my friend’s mother and I was invited to go to the beach with them. I almost fell over backwards the first time I saw her! I’ll nevah forget it! 😮
She was wearing high heeled boa mules, a leopard patterned two-piece bathing suit, a kimono, and HUGE sunglasses, carrying a beach bag and a paperback book. She was beautifully made up, and her long, wavy blonde hair was worn Veronica Lake style. I had never seen anyone so glamorous so close up before. It was awesome! She was very sweet to us kids. 😊
I was less impressed when my friend showed me an autographed picture of Jean out on a publicity date with Adam West.
Well, that’s it. Hope you like it. 🤞✌️❤️

I work at a Federal agency and while I cannot say enough about how I oppose the policies of this administration, the heads of my agency know my service dog’s name and respect their distance to my baby girl.

Hey!! My gallbladder almost DID kill me!! Yaay. Good times.
I was 36 hours from chekin out when some smart dr finally realized I was ill.
Celebs? I massaged Wes Craven & his wife a few years back.
They were sweet.

I met Princess Diana when I was 11 years old; I was part of her honour guard when she came to visit Vancouver. She was super nice and lovely, very soft spoken and wearing a pretty dress suit. My cousin and I stood beside Jared Padalecki (from Supernatural), looking at rugs in downtown Vancouver. Wasn’t until he was about to buy a really expensive rug, when I heard him talking, that I realized it was him. Then I got embarrassed that I was eavesdropping so I shuffled away, dragging my cousin with me.

I was in Whole Foods in Santa Fe when I spotted someone I recognized but I could not remember her name. I mulled it over through the whole store and it suddenly hit me… That was Lauren Hutton. I looked up and I was standing next to Julia Roberts.

Only a secondhand celebrity encounter, but my husband peed next to Brad Pitt at the Kentucky Derby many years ago. And that’s all to that story because evidently peeking in the men’s room “isn’t done”.

I’ve met a good number of the cast from the Lord of the Rings. John Rhys-Davies gives amazing hugs, and will smooch your cheek whether you ask for it or no. Sean Astin is also adorably affectionate and a good hugger. Elijah Wood really is that beautiful. So is Miranda Otto. Andy Serkis is very friendly and sweet. So is John Noble…! I was lucky enough to be rooming with a friend in an executive suite at a hotel where one con was taking place, and Billy Boyd wandered into the hospitality room while we were in there. We gave him his space but he walked right over and sat with us and chatted for a good 20 minute. He was my absolute favorite at the time and that I made him laugh was one of my proudest moments.

My sister used to work for Henry Mancini sometimes. One time she took me with her (I had just turned a shy 18) while she watched over his 30ish son’s party at his house (it wasn’t huge). I was introduced to him in his kitchen. He had come down in his pajamas to grab something to eat (avoiding the party). Such an amazing sweet man. And his Oscars and Grammys were on display in his main room -right there-.

Going from most recent to ancient history, here are the ones I remember. I’m sure there are others but my memory… well, I blame all the psychotropics.
When I worked at a high school a few years ago, Drake Bell (Drake and Josh, anyone?) came to give a concert. I was working late in my office and the admins brought him in to use the restroom right across the hall from me. They stood there chatting and I could have met him but I was too shy plus I thought it would’ve been weird for a 50-something woman to ask for a selfie with him. My daughter was so pissed off at me.
I once sat next to Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls) in the front row of a very intimate concert by Suzzy and Maggie Roche. I think she was with her wife.
And, the ancient history: my mom took me to the airport to meet Richard Nixon when he was campaigning for President in 1959? 1960? Anyway, I’ve always said my oddest factoid is that I was kissed by Nixon. I was just a baby, so I don’t remember it, but I wish I had a picture. 😁

I once propositioned The Edge (guitarist, vocalist of U2). Standing outside a concert venue, waiting for the band to arrive, with a huge crowd of like minded fans. He signed my poster board but I couldn’t speak while he was within arm’s reach of me. Once he was a few people down the line my speaking abilities returned, so I asked, “Will you come home with me?” And he grinned and CHUCKLED!! That made me so very happy. That I brought amusement to him, if only for a few seconds. This was over 10 years ago and I still grin like a maniac when I tell the story. (The mortification set in the next day “holy shit! I propositioned The Edge!” but has since faded. And no, he did not come home with me. But I do still have the poster board he signed.

I once babysat Willie Geist from The Today Show when he was a little boy. He was great, but his younger sister attacked me with a metal baseball bat. Needless to say, that was a one-and-done experience…

Also happened in Vegas…my ex and I were at the Fashion Show mall the afternoon of the Holyfield/Tyson fight…yes, the ear biting incident! As we were leaving, Evander Holyfield and his entourage were all walking towards the same exit as we were…so I yelled over to him “Hey Champ! Kick that rapist bastard’s ass tonight!” His group all laughed and Evander told me to “Come over here Baby!”..so I did and he gave me a big hug while someone in his group took our picture!!

Brian Dennehy was in town filming First Blood. He came to the cabaret and I asked him to dance. We sat at his table and I eventually passed out on it. He asked my friend if I was okay. Lovely. But, I did get a picture of him with my daughter the following day. He was super nice.

I road in an elevator with Tom Hanks (circa 2002). I was staying in the same hotel – I realized it was him and a bunch of his people. I mean there were probably 2 people in-between me and Tom Hanks – and I imagined all the things I might say to him … by the time I’d almost worked up the courage to speak to him – he was off the elevator and I had managed to ride past my own stop.

I met Sean Gunn at Dragon*Con last year in the walk of fame. There was a long line of people but it wasn’t organized, so I asked if they were waiting for Sean but none of them were. Turns out there were actually 2 lines for celebs on either side of Sean, but NONE were for him! I walked right up and said hello, then said “I love ‘Gilmore Girls’! It’s too bad everyone hates Kirk.” To which he replied, “Who hates Kirk?!” in a very offended way. I stammered something incomprehensible and said, “Well, it was nice to meet you” then slunk away sheepishly!

I have several because I am a huge sci-fi nerd. I’ve met most of the cast of Star Trek (Next Gen and DS9), Babylon 5, and Firefly. My two favorite encounters: Andreas Katsulas (G’Kar from B5). We spoke for a bit, I asked if I could take his picture. He came out from behind his table, handed my camera to his assistant, then took me in his arms and danced me around while serenading me with “Dancing In The Dark”. Also, Timothy Zahn (author) is very cool. We were at DragonCon in 2016 in a line to meet Jewel Staite (Kaylee Frye from Firefly), and I happen to glance at the badge of the guy in front of us. I see “special guest” and then his name. He talked to us, showing us pictures on his phone of new book covers.

Chuck Berry was playing at my college and I was supposed to pick him at the hotel. He wasn’t there. He decided to walk over to the campus. I found him trucking on down on Hempstead Turnpike with his guitar. I pulled over and asked him if he wanted a ride, he graciously accepted. He was kind as well as super talented!

I was at a concert at a small club in a small town and saw Jonathan Cain (keyboardist for Journey) and felt the need to talk to him. I proceeded to approach him, interupting his private conversation to tell him that I really liked his work and that Journey had meant so much to me growing up. Then I second guessed myself because, you know, Journey’s heyday was awhile ago, so then I continued by saying “not that you haven’t done anything since then. I mean, you are not old, I mean…” I continued to dig myself a hole that I wished I could just jump into. It was awful and awkward and I slunk away. That will teach me to try to talk to celebrities.

Shared an elevator with a very nice, very short blonde woman and her mom, discussed the hotel bars and the merits of each. She got off on a different floor than us and I said, “wow, she looked just like Kirsten Dunst!” My dad, who was also in the elevator, said “That WAS Kirsten Dunst.” I just assumed it couldn’t be a celebrity because I never meet celebrities. Also one time walked straight past Whoopi Goldberg at a Disney hotel. My dad was also with me then and started talking to her. Best part is is that my dad barely knows any actors/actresses and gets them all confused on screen lol

My husband and his friend once ran into Austin Powers (can’t remember the actor’s name) in the bookstore, and helped him find a techy/programming book, but hubby couldn’t get himself to say anything. Meanwhile, I’ve never met a famous person in my life and would have had NO problem finding things to say. (also…sending hopeful vibes your way that everything works out as well as possible…)

My best celebrity story: My friends and I are meeting at a coffee shop on Ventura Blvd. in the Los Angeles area. At the next table is a guy sitting there with a dog. So my first reaction is DOG! I go up to the guy, “hey, can I pet your dog? What kind is he? Do you have any others? Dog dog dog dogdogdog.” We talk about 3 minutes, I refill my personal dog meter and go join my friends at the next table, again. One of them turns to me and says “You know that was David Carradine, right??” I totally had no idea. I practically didn’t even see him.

I made Willie Nelson a Father’s Day card when I was about 9, and he gave me the vest off his back. It has “Made for Willie Nelson” stitched into the label. It’s my Big Celebrity Moment to this day (and I’m still making cards!).

We’re counting meeting you as a celebrity encounter, right? Because my favorite celebrity encounter was when I gave you a raccoon penis bone during a book signing in Houston, and you loudly exclaimed, “Thank you for the penis!” And then everyone else in line got very quiet. That was awesome. (Please tell the penis bone I said hello.)

My second favorite celebrity encounter was the time I got introduced to Kevin Nealon after a comedy show. He was eating Kettle Chips straight out of the bag and offered to share them with me. I’ve always thought that was quite neighborly of him.

Well, when I was in high school they were filming high school musical 3 at my school (my senior year and theirs, so poetic) and I was VERY unimpressed because a. Not a great series, and b. They wouldn’t let anyone have a hall pass while they were filming so if you needed to have an emergency like diarrhea during class (never saw this happen but seriously), you had to do it in the classroom. Anyway, I got through this whole experience very stoically until suddenly I was getting on a bus in the school parking lot one evening to leave on a choir trip to California and as we pulled into the parking lot, there was Corbin bleu and I started yelling uncontrollably in the car that it was him and I was so excited and he was handsome. So, all my stoic crew went out the window but I did see him.

I was shopping at a Whole Foods one day and there was a short older main in front of me going very slow, I was feeling a bit aggravated and was going to go around him when I realized it was Martin Sheen, Emilio was with him. I didn’t want to interrupt their shopping so I didn’t bother them.

I have also sold books to Ron Howard and fish to Diana Ross. And once I got very close to Bob Hope, but was to shy to ask for an autograph.

My brother and I sat behind some actor (honest to god I can’t remember who) at a baseball game when we were teenagers. My brother wanted his autograph but we’d seen the actor turning down people when he was walking to his seat. So my brother says to me extra loud, “Oh, there’s no point in asking. After all, it’s not like he’s as nice a guy as Mr. T.” Actor turns around and demands to know when my brother met Mr. T. My brother tells him a tall tale about being on an elevator with Mr. T and what a great guy he was and how he gave him an autograph without my brother even having to ask and the actor immediately tore off a corner of his scorecard signed it and handed it to him.

I was in a NYC diner waiting for my friend. The man at the next table was doing a crossword puzzle, and asked to borrow my pen. My friend arrived & whispered that it was Wallace Shawn who had my pen! Also, when I was Queen of the Internet I swing-danced with Robin Leach and hung out with Penn Gillette at the Cool Site of the Year awards party. And for you Canadians, Arthur Black once taped a show in my living room.

I met Sean Connery in Minneapolis back in the early 80’s. He was on the board of a rapidly growing business that was a customer of mine. He pulled up in a limo and the driver opened the door and there he was. Tall, bald, tan, and sporting a big grin with that terrific voice. When he walked in the women swooned (well, almost) and the men were stunned. He seemed to be a genuinely nice man and shook everyone’s hand. It made my day.

A few years ago, Cal Ripken from the Baltimore Orioles was in the audience at a legal studies event at the local community college, but we weren’t allowed to approach him or talk to him, because he was trying to be discreet.

Okay, don’t get pissed because I haven’t met any celebrities. But please go to the Dogs Naturally website and check out their vaccine schedule. “Annual shots” are bullshit. You should at least be informed and once you know you will never have to do this to your animals again, you will immediately feel better! If in doubt, just get a titer (bloodtest) reading to determine if the vaccine(s) he/she already has are still working. Non-holistic vets don’t like this, but will do it if you ask. Then you get to give them a great big raspberry when you find out your animal is fucking fine as is, thank you very much.

saw kd lang at the car wash in studio city. saw jay leno at gelson’s on ventura in studio city buying swansons chicken dinners, for his night crew i guess. raced ted danson on benedict canyon, he in a porsche, me in a minivan!

I was working the graveyard shift at the truck stop, it was probably 2 AM. A tour bus rolled in and who should get off? Stephen Stills! I couldn’t say anything like “Hey! You’re Stephen Stills!” because that would be rude. Instead we talked about being awake late at night and how far he had to travel.

I met my friend that did a red dress photo shoot with me at the Barnes and Noble in Edina, MN and we listened to the Mighty Bloggess read from her best selling and hysterical book “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened” and then I got to meet her and tell her that her words and her post about the red dress and being worth it were the reason I made a decision to have a medical procedure that changed my life and that surgery helped me on my way to being furiously happy! And I even have a picture to prove it! I think I win the award for longest run on sentence! Yay me! Love you, Jenny.

I just had a liver ultrasound, and I really felt they spent too much time on my gallbladder for there not to be an issue. When I got my results it clearly said my gallbladder was fine. It’s probably fine.

Got to be onset while a friend’s dog filmed a movie with Rory Culkin. Nice guy. Ate two tables away from Tom Cruise in a NYC restaurant when his hair was still long from Interview With A Vampire. Passed Sally Field at the bathroom in the same restaurant but a different visit. ( It’s a small Italian place where Broadway people tend to eat.) As a kid was in an elevator with Karl Malden.

President Bill Clinton came to speak at the school I was student-teaching at in 1996.. as did Malik Yoba (Cool Runnings). Walter Mondale was in a seat across from me, reading a newspaper and looking like a regular old grandpa while we waited to board a plane from Minneapolis to DC. I spotted Richard Thomas (John Boy from the Waltons) at Union Station in DC but was to shy to approach him- I would have loved to say “Goodnight, John Boy!” 🙂
Saw Kelly Ripa at a performance of the Nutcracker at the Lincoln Center in NYC, after the show our group was about to approach her but we saw she had her young daughter with her and decided not to. Lots of other people were hounding her, and she looked over at our group, noticed that we backed off, and with a grateful smile, waved at us as if to say thanks for respecting her and her daughters space. She is even tinier and prettier in person than she appears on tv.

I worked as a Hotel Desk Clerk about a hundred years ago. I got to meet my all time fave female rocker, Cindy Lauper, who was very pregnant and registered in the hotel (for security reasons) as “Miss Large Marge.” I was so stunned I didn’t even get her autograph, just shook her hand with the star struck eyes and a length of saliva hanging from my chin.
At the same hotel, because it is in his hometown, I also met Allen Iverson of the NBA – ya know, back when he was “a star” and simultaneously in trouble with the law and definitely NOT giving back to the community positively. I will simply say we had a less than favorable encounter at the front desk of that hotel and he did not shake my hand but did put his face close enough to mine to attest that he was not, on that particular night, practicing good oral hygiene.
That’s all I got for now. Except my husband keeps meeting Joe Montegna at a convention they both attend every year and it’s totally pissing me off because they are literally on first name basis and I’ve never met him! He’s super sexy to me – perhaps it’s his “Criminal Mind.”

I was visiting NYC for the first time and literally bumped into Christine Baranski coming out of the Times Square MAC store. Being Canadian I of course apologized profusely, once it registered who she was I did that silent “wait, you’re…” face and she winked at me as she went on her way.

I was also an extra in a movie (diary of a wimpy kid 2) years ago. Steve Zahn plays the kids dad in that. I never actually talked to him on set but he spent a lot of time chewing tabaco and spitting it into a clear water bottle he was carrying around and giving his balls a deep scratch.

Many, MANY years ago I popped into the office kitchen to grab a quick cup of coffee before starting work and ran smack dab into Roger Staubach in his underwear. Now, there’s a perfectly reasonable story as to why Roger Staubach was half-nekid in our office breakroom at that moment, but I think the story’s better without the explanation. He’s a big boy!

I was heading towards the entrance of a big public building in a business area in London. This was on s weekend and that part if central London has no tourists so there was no-one in the street except me heading for the building from one side and a woman heading toward me from the other side. We were about 100 yards apart when we noticed each other. The building was hosting a met of a club I was very active in and the woman looked very familiar, but I coul not remember her name. I was worried. I knew that face really well. I was sure she would be really offended by my failure to recall her name and I was working so hard trying to work out who it was I didn’t realise that I was really staring at her. When we were only 10 yards apart I finally recognised her. Not a close friend, but a famous TV presenter. At the same time as I recognised Carol Vordaman I realised i’d Been staring and noticed how scared / freaked out she was looking, not surprising as she walking down a deserted street with a strange man staring intently at her. Mortified I ducked into the building and the encounter was over.

We were backstage at a Hall and Oates concert in the 70’s and they walked by wearing towels on the way to the showers and they flashed us. And I met Walter Cronkite at a book convention. And I met you in Raleigh!

One of my college roommates worked sound (DJ and live) at a dance hall in College Station in the mid-90’s. People would sometimes call our house before a performance to set up sound checks and stuff, and one day I had to entertain one for a few minutes while my roommate got out of the shower. I chatted with a very polite older guy about what was going on around town, the weather, etc. before my roommate takes the call upstairs and I hang up. When he was finished, he comes down grinning at me, all “Well? Isn’t he cool? What did you talk about?” “What? The dude on the phone? He was nice – why?” I had shot the shit with Willie Nelson and had no clue.
– Brandi

Many years ago I was in a junk store in Los Angeles, looking at some pile of something or other on the floor. A man’s shoes walked up to me and I lifted my eyes to see Jonathan Winters standing before me. He launched into various stories from his life, some funny, some not. I didn’t move a muscle, as I knew how precious the moment was. An hour later, he thanked me for my ear and for allowing him to talk. I thanked him and that was that. I’ve had many celebrity encounters, but that is one of my favorites.

I once met my favorite author.. Jenny Lawson. Maybe you’ve heard of her. Well, I was not thinking, and forgot to bring my book, so when I finally got my turn to meet her, I lost my ability to speak, other than to ask if she could sign my arm. I got a picture of the whole thing and it was my facebook profile for awhile. I was so excited to meet her, but then the fear of meeting such a famous awesome person.. I couldn’t put words together to form a coherent sentence.

Met Earl Campbell at a sports memorabilia store in Las Vegas, got an autograph and a couple of personal pictures with him. Met Penn & Teller after one of their shows. They take pictures after every show with the audience members, very cool of them. Met Frank Beard of ZZ Top back in the 70’s. There were a couple of others but the names escape me at the moment.

Back in the ’90s, I spent four days on the set of “The Patriot.” I was a copy editor at my newspaper, and they were recruiting Continental Army soldiers. So I stood in line, submitted my application, wrote on it my position with the newspaper, and waited.

Months later, I got the call. They needed me! I was told to report to the set (a farmer’s field in Chester County, South Carolina) at 4 a.m.

I got the uniform and went to the make-up tent, where I got the full treatment, even though I was a spear carrier. Pancake makeup on my face and hands, and artificial dirt smears all over to make it look like I was living rough. They had at least a thousand guys out there on both sides to shoot the battle scenes.

But you want to know about Mel Gibson, right? Truth be told, my encounters weren’t personal. But dig this:

We were out in the field. It was about 6 a.m. and we were lined up in the cold. We were supposed to charge across the field and meet the enemy, bayonet to bayonet. We were to meet and then stop, because the charge was the thing, see? Guys yelling and screaming and racing towards each other like it was a Harry Potter release party and the last copy was on the other side of the field.

We were waiting for the sun to rise. We were fucking freezing and talking and waiting for the order.

All of a sudden, it became apparent that something was happening. Behind me. It seemed to get quieter. Some shushing. Phrases. Like a key change in the movie’s music that tells you “somethings about to happen”

To my left, someone breaks through the line and walks toward the middle of the field. It’s Mel. At 50 yards, you couldn’t miss him. He was wearing a loose shirt and buckskin breeches, like a civilian from that time.

He didn’t do anything but walk toward the middle of the field, turn right, and walk between the two sides.

The field went dead quiet. You’d think a thousand freezing guys would be saying something, but I swear to god, hand on my heart, not even a “Hey Mel!” escaped us.

Mel Gibson was among us, and we were awed. He walked down to the end, where the camera was, and when he was done, the assistants in the loudspeakers gave the orders that would unleash the charge.

Talked to Keanu Reeves on the phone once!! Partner in a law firm I worked for knew him (& of my admiration for him!) and when he went to CA (we are in MO), has him call me! I’m still feeding on that joy 14 years later 😍😊

A group of us went to Florida when Garth Brooks was spring training with the Mets. We decided that since we were kind of on “spring break” (we were all way past college), we should get tattoos. Then we decided it would be cool to get Garth’s signature tattoo’ed on our ankles. So we had him sign them. There are 4 women in this world with Garth signed tattoos. Also, he is very, very personable… everything you would hope he would be.

Had a weird Twitter encounter with Arnel Pineda from Journey. Was watching Journey, Live from Manila on TV one day and tweeted about it. A couple of hours later my Twitter feed was blowing up from some angry Steve Perry fan(atic) who was ranting about what an idiot I was, how Steve was the only true Journey singer ever, and how Arnel should be ashamed. Then she turned on Arnel saying all kinds of horrible things to him. I felt really bad, so I tweeted him and told him, “Sorry to pull you into this sh**storm”. He was cool, he replied and said no problem, don’t worry about it. Really nice guy. Gotta love social media.

I’ve never met a celebrity, but one time at a game convention my friend was mistaken for Wil Wheaton by some dude. The dude even wanted to take a picture with him. My friend refused. I told him he should have taken the photo and then given the dude an autograph that says “I’m not Wil Wheaton.”

Once I was with a very important customer in the fancy lobby of their infamous corporate headquarters (downtown Chicago). Unbeknownst to me, Stedman (you know, Oprah’s boyfriend) stood mere feet away. My customer quietly pointed him out. In my excitement, I turned and accidentally shouted, “STEDMAN’S HERE? WHERE? WHERE’S STEDMAN?” Of course, Stedman heard me. So did everybody else in the busy lobby.

I saw Georgio Armani at an Aspen restaurant that offered a buffet lunch. He ordered off a nenu, but he stole a muffin rmfrom the buffet.

Tom Hanks was with friends in the lift line and told them he wanted to take the green run and meet them at the bottom. No celeb ever admits they’re not an expert, loud enough for everyone to hear. But Tom…

Arnold Schwarzenegger came into a very fancy antique store I worked for. The mgr asked him not to smoke his cigar in there. He said, don’t you know who I am? I’m a movie stah.

Last, but not least, Julia Roberts cut a long line at a Taos liquor store. A man in line pointed out that there was, indeed, a line. She said, Don’t you know who I am? The nsn replied, Yeah, the last person in line.

My husband and I met Bruce Campbell at a book signing in a nearby city about fifteen years ago. At the time, my husband was office mates with Bruce’s older brother. Bruce greeted us nicely but with professional distance until my husband said, “Your brother Mike says hi.” That’s when Bruce did a double-take, gave us a real smile, and asked my husband how he knew Mike. I have a picture of the three of us somewhere (plus a signed copy of If Chins Could Kill). He really is the nicest guy in show business.

We also met Brian Thompson at my husband’s co-worker’s wedding. Brian played the Master’s right hand man in the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and has also been in a bunch of other stuff (see http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0859921/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t560). The weird part about that whole thing was that while we were sitting in the church waiting for the wedding to start, I saw him walk down the aisle and my brain screamed, “VAMPIRE!”, but I couldn’t figure out why. Somebody mentioned at the reception that he was an actor (and the groom’s brother-in-law).

I met Paula Poundstone when she was the closing session speaker at the Illinois Library Association Annual Conference several years ago. I haven’t laughed that hard in awhile. I also got to hang out with Peter Sagel (host of Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me) when I was on the Illinois Library Association’s conference committee and he was a speaker at the Illinois Author’s Dinner. Finally, I met Ferguson Jenkins at a Cubs spring training game once. He’s a huge flirt (also, funny, smart, and very attractive).

I used to work in radio. One time the Barenaked Ladies were playing at the station where I worked and one of the sales people asked me to run down to her office & get her baby’s pacifier out of her jacket pocket. I went downstairs to her office which was a large space shared by a couple sales people & went to her chair where she said her jacket was & started going through the pockets. I pulled out a pick of cigarettes & was thoroughly confused because I knew she didn’t smoke. It was then that I looked to my right & noticed the ENTIRE BAND staring at me going through the pockets of one of their jackets, not the sales person because apparently they were using that office as a green room before they performed. I just put the jacket down, mumbled an apology, & slowly backed out of the office. Oh did I mention I had only been working there for a few months & this was the first big name group that had been there since I had started? Yup go me!

I was at FanExpo here in Toronto several years ago and sat in on a panel with Malcolm McDowell. I was able to ask him a question but I prefaced it with saying that Caligula was one of my favourite movies and he responded by asking for my number. Right there. In front of the whole auditorium. I nearly died, having had a crush on him since I was a child.

I came across Jamie Farr (Klinger from the show MASH) in the hardware store on a Saturday morning as he was buying chemicals for his pool. My husband ran into him at the gas station; JF was driving a jeep with a license plate that read MUDHENS, He lived in a gated community next to the community where we lived in the San Fernando valley so I guess it probably wasn’t that uncommon to run into him. We ran into several famous stars while living there and I never got over being star-struck. One time my husband turned around and literally ran into Arnold Schwarzenegger. He apologized quickly.

My most lengthy star encounter was going to Furry Lewis’s house during my college days in Memphis and having him play his guitar for a small group of us. I didn’t realize who he was at the time, just thought he was an old guy who sang the blues, but it was memorable.

I stared at Paul McGann from across a room at a Comic Con a couple of years ago. I also stared at David Tennant from behind a crowd at the stage door after seeing him play Don Juan last year. Oh, and I stared at singer/actor Ramin Karimloo when I went to see Young Frankenstein The Musical in London last month.
You can see a pattern here, can’t you?

In the late 90’s, in an airport, I saw (and heard) Yeardley Smith yelling at someone over a payphone. She is tiny and sounded exactly like her character. I heard the sound first and fully thought I would turn a corner and see a life size Lisa Simpson giving someone hell. It was great.

I saw a woman at the airport who looked familiar but I am terrible with names and I thought she was someone from my office whose name I had forgotten so I just nodded politely and she nodded back at me. Later I realized it was Connie Chung.

Actually, I forgot (or maybe blocked) out the time Larry Flynt and his assistant ate dinner at my table in a restaurant where I was working ( this was some time before he was shot, I’m pretty old!). He offered to take photos up in his room and his assistant gave me his business card with their hotel room numbers written on the back . I declined, they left a very nice tip anyway. I still have the card.

About 10 years ago (!), a friend of mine who was involved in marketing for an indie film distributor asked if I wanted to pop into a documentary directed by Kiefer Sutherland. But just the end part, before the Q&A (like many in the audience, we didn’t really care about the movie, just wanted to see our favorite Lost Boy). So we went in at the tail end of the film to a packed house, and stood along the back aisle wall, behind the last row of seats. A few other people come in and do the same. My friend whispered to me, “Don’t look…but Kiefer Sutherland is standing right next to you.” I slyly glanced oh-so-nonchalantly to my right, and yep, there he was! He was shorter than I thought he’d be. I stood there, pretending to be riveted and very into the movie and feeling a little bad that I didn’t care about it. Later, I also felt bad that very few questions were asked about the movie, the band, or the music. Most people were Lost Boys or 24 fans.

So when I was at Universal Studios in LA my (ex) husband and I went to a restaurant and I saw this girl and though, girlfriend needs to eat something! Turns out, as they left we realized it was Jaime Presley from “My Name Is Earl”. No wonder she was so fucking skinny! Shit! Girl looked anotexic!

I am a theatre major and people often ask me what my worst theatre moment was. Well, it was not while I was on stage. I was in the audience watching “The King and I” with Yul Brenner. I was on the third row from the stage and started to have a coughing fit. (Do not try to breathe and swallow at the same time; it never works.) Mr. Brenner stopped the show turned to glare at me and asked (in that wonderful voice), “Are you done?” There’s noting quite as humiliating as having a couple thousand people mad you for interrupting their entertainment.

Michael Rooker was staying at the same hotel we were in for Tokyo Comicon 2017. We saw him the hotel lobby (after dinner, so after a long day for him) and he hugged my 9 year old daughter and shook my hand. The next morning at breakfast, he was at the table next to us. He remembered my daughter and asked her what she liked about comicon and he joked with her about his blue skin and how hard it was to cover up. He was just really, really nice. And yes, we did pay to have pictures taken with him at comicon, but he didn’t know that.

A friend and I were once on the same plane as Charlton Heston. Didn’t have any interaction with him but felt justified in taking a good look at him as we passed him in first class on our way back to our cheap seats. Later in the trip, on a different plane, some turbulence caused my friend to exclaim loudly “Where is Moses when you need him?”

OH, I almost forgot: When my (fraternal twin) brother and I were like a year old, my parents were having lunch at a café with us parked next to the table in a stroller, and this fashionable lady noticed us as she passed by. She bent down and cooed at us a little (we apparently both cooed back), told my parents we were adorable, and walked off. And my parents were like, “Gee, what a nice compliment from OH MY GOD THAT WAS RUE MCCLANAHAN.”

So basically, a future Golden Girl touched me when I was a baby, and now I’m gay. Explains everything, really.

My 25 year old son found himself at the grocery store at 2 AM, standing in the cereal aisle pondering all the choices, when he noticed Bill Murray standing there doing the same. They both laughed, acknowledging that it was a weird thing to be doing at 2 AM but at least they had company.

I have a few to share!
I accidentally made Dean Koontz feel old when I met him for a book signing in a Costco. He was there by himself with no one around and I blurted out that I had been reading his books since Middle School. I apologized and ran off.
Was hiding in a corner pretending to be a staff person during the filming of a commercial with Martin Sheen (My bf worked at the studio it was filming). He walked over to me during a break and said my secret was safe with him!
Met comedian Lewis Black after a stand-up performance and he was the nicest guy! He stayed 2 hours after the show and made sure everyone got a picture and autograph in the lobby even though he looked dead tired.

Nicolas Cage (short, was like boob height on me) in line behind me for opening weekend showing of Independence Day in Park City which was sold out – so he couldn’t get in. He didn’t miss much as the sound gave out halfway through. And Steve Guttenberg chasing his dog down his street in Malibu area decades ago.
That said, Dorothy Barker is totally your dog, isn’t she?

My 25 year old son found himself in the grocery store at 2 AM, standing in the cereal aisle pondering all the choices, when he noticed Bill Murray standing there doing the same. They both laughed, acknowledging it was a weird thing to be doing but at least they weren’t alone.

I’m super shy about meeting people i admire. Was part of a group meet n greet for band i adored (Eskimo Joe). I changed my mind about facing my fears and hid outside one of several doorways to the room. Turned out to be the door they entered by. So instead of being able to hide in a crowd i got all of their attention at once, argh. They were very nice. But i still froze like a bunny when the farmer comes over the hill with his dog. Later while trying to avoid catching the attention of the singer, I stepped backwards and collided with someone close behind me. It was the guitarist. “Well hello again!” Noooooooooo

About 20 years ago I almost met Darth Vader in an airport. I heard his voice going by me as I was moving on the escalator but when I finally made it to the end, I sprinted back to see him but it was just James Earl Jones talking on a cell phone.

My dad was staying at the same hotel as the Harlem Globetrotters. My daughter was 5 at the time and obsessed with the episode of Scooby-Doo they were on. When I told her about it she got real quiet. “So if they are real does that mean Scooby is real too?”

I ran into Cindy Crawford at the Olympic games in Vancouver in 2010. She brushed past like we were all insects……lol. Where as Joe Biden was so nice and waved at us as his security was trying to stuff him in his car. I am in the Olympic spirit. 🙂

I dated Mike Baker (Whitney Houston’s musical director and drummer extraordinaire) back when he was in a local band. Also had a blind date with a professional hockey player (came to pick me up and he had no front teeth) and was set up with a professional football player (he was married….not cool). And for the last two decades my husband has been mistaken for Alec Baldwin or “are you one of the Baldwin brothers” every where from the Pacific Northwest to the Florida Keys and even over in Europe. Personally I do not see the resemblance but it has happened to him at least a hundred times or more by both men and women.

When I worked in radio, we met singers and bands all the time. But Henry Winker was on a tour discussing heart disease with radio DJ’s. I met him, and he was so very sweet and wonderful. He’s also VERY short. VERY. Aaayyyy!

Back in the 60’s, I was watching the Orange Bowl Parade in downtown Miami and Lorne Green stepped on my foot while trying to get through the crowd. Seems the celebrities don’t always stay on the floats the whole time, and get off as soon as the cameras and prime viewing areas are gone by. I of course, was not in a prime viewing area. (How many of you reading this had to look up who Lorne Green was? And maybe still don’t know who he was) 😉

My kids and I sat in a row with Viggo Mortensen on a long flight to Madrid, Spain. He was very nice to my son (who he was sitting next to) and they chatted a bit. He had the tiniest bag with him and 3 cartons of Marlboro Reds from the duty free shop. Also, he’s much shorter in person.

The closest I’ve come to a celebrity encounter was taking a nights school field trip to the Milwaukee Country Courthouse and sitting in the same chair Jeffrey Dahmer did while he was on trial. About a year after his trial.

I work in event planning so I have lots, Tom Hanks, Goldie Hawn, Emeril Lagasse, Tyler Florence, Tim Gunn, Rashida Jones, Burt Baccarach, Tony Bennet, Drew Bledsoe, Brian Boitano, Lionel Richie, the list goes on. Usually i’m just happy if a celeb isn’t an entitled jerk. One my favorites was meeting Mindy Kaling. She was a celebrity guest for a fundraiser and arrived early, before the guests, so that she could be shown around the space. She met all of the staff and volunteers. She was lovely and fun. I was at the registration table finishing some set up when she walked over and the volunteer that was with me froze and just kind of stared at her. I checked her in to the event and gave her a program and VIP wristband and let her know where the bar was located. I desperately wanted to ask for a selfie because i’m a big fan, but I try to restrain myself at work events. She was so nice though.

Unrelated, shout out to West Texas. I lived in San Angelo for a while and have friends in Wall. I finished my degree at Angelo State.

I had a weird week the other week…Davey Havok (lead singer of AFI) likes my Instagram post. I freaked out a little because for a moment he knew I existed. And the Adam Carson (drummer for the same band) thanked me for wishing him a happy birthday on Twitter (and it looked like he thanks everyone, but how sweet is that of him? Who does that?) and then I won 5 imaginary points from Rob Kazinsky (Actor from Pacific Rim) for guessing what game was on his TV in an Instagram post. I mean, I imagine the points are like whose line is it anyway and they don’t matter, but still. It was a very odd week for little interactions that mean a lot to me

I met Richard Simmons in a hospital in the 80s when I was around 4. I have a genetic bone disease so I’ve been subjected to regular blood work and medical study for as long as I can remember. When I was very small, the blood drawing was the most horrible thing ever, and I howled and cried every single time. But one day, as we waited for the commencement of the most torturous of tortures, a man came bouncing into the hospital. I knew who he was immediately- Richard Simmons. My mom had one of his workout records (it was the 80s, after all, and aerobics was HOT). He was much more fun than Jane Fonda, so I requested him whenever possible.

As I said, he literally bounced into the hospital and screamed, “HI EVERYBODY!” He theatrically used the payphone in the lobby, and inexplicably, my dad and I were in front of him. I was spellbound. He looked down on me, told me I was a beautiful child, and next thing I knew, I was sitting on my dad’s lap, blood draining from my vein, without a tear to be had. Never cried during a draining again.

I don’t know what Richard Simmons was doing there, but it changed my life. I’ve been a big fan ever since. He’s a magical person.

I’ve had many encounters with stars because I live and work in LA, but my favorite to date is Chris Noth. I lived in W. Hollywood at the time Sex & The City was still on and I had watched every episode multiple times. Chris Noth, aka Mr. Big, would often pick up his dry cleaning at a place on my street near Sunset Blvd. I’d seen him several times and didn’t say anything to him, but that day I was feeling quite brave. I approached him and made sure to block his path across the street because celebs love it when you get right in their way. I said, “You’re Chris Noth, right?” He acknowledged that I was a human being standing in front of him talking in his general direction, but didn’t respond with anything like words or sounds. “I love you,” I said. Because that’s what winning looks like. He glanced down at me from up on high (because he’s quite tall, that one) like I had not one, not two, but three legs sticking out of my head and hurried away without a word. Tell you what, I’ve clearly got a way with the celebs.

OK, this has to make you feel (at least a little) better. When I was in grade school, Ray Bradbury came and spoke at my local public library. I got to hear his talk and I got his autograph afterward. Library + books + Sci-Fi master author = improvement to day. Yes? Yes.

I ran into Tom Brokaw in our little podunk town’s library. I was so shocked I couldn’t even remember his name until later. It was like seeing my teacher outside of school. My brain just could not comprehend it. He must have been giving some kind of talk in the community room.

I also ran into Carrot Top at Applebee’s. My husband and his friends dared me to go get his autograph, so to their shock I did. He was really nice. He even offered to let me sit down at their table, but he’d just gotten done doing a show at the university, so I figured he’d like a little down time.

I once ran into David Bromstad of HGTV Design Star fame in the Urban Outfitters in the Mall of America. He was buying a sweater for his niece. He asked me not to scream. I had no intention of screaming. It was weird.

I met Lewis Black at a Lenny Bruce “Comedy and Constitution” dinner. He spoke at the dinner and actually laughed at a funny story I told while talking to him in the lobby along with (Say’s You) panelists and very funny, smart people, Paula Lyons and Arnie Reisman.

In 1981 I was waiting in line to get an autograph from Harry Chapin after his concert. I was 17 and was trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t make me seem like a star-struck silly little girl. Finally it’s my turn and I hand him my program for an autograph and before I can say a word he leans across the counter and kisses me. I mean tongue-down-the-throat kisses me! I was so shocked the only thing I said to my hero was, “Can I get back in line for seconds?” as my sister led me away. So much for being cool.

Once when I lived in NYC I heard a familiar voice as I was walking up Madison Ave. I was expecting to see a coworker when I looked around, but was surprised to see Dustin Hoffman! I followed him and his female friend up the street for a few blocks. Sadly, he did not kiss me like Harry did, but on a happy note he did not report me for being a creepy stalker person either.

I was walking around downtown Seattle after the Nisqually earthquake when the presidential motorcade went by. I was unimpressed because I’ve seen limousines before. Of the things I saw that day, my favorite was the marquee outside a strip club which said, “We shake better”.

I was on Stanford campus waiting in line to order a drink at Jamba Juice when this slightly frazzled looking student joined up behind me. He asked me for the time and just generally looked oddly familiar until I finally recognized him as Ben Savage.

I accidentally tripped George Takei with a broadsword. Back in the 80s my dad sold prop weaponry at sci-fi conventions and my sister and I would occasionally help him, usually dressed in costume. I was sitting in the booth with a broadsword slung over my back in a baldric, and I suddenly felt a “thunk” and then a particularly mellifluous, “Oh, please be careful.” Unca George had been cutting through the back of the dealers’ room on the way to a panel and had tripped over my sword. He was very gracious and every word that comes out of his mouth has its own cravat and brandy snifter.

Back when I was about 23 I went to the Badminton Horse Trials (none found guilty, haha) in England and walked straight past Prince Charles without noticing because I only had eyes for his horse. Then I was trying to take a photo of the Quee and one of her security men said, “Not so close, sonny.”

I saw Kinky Friedman at the Starbucks in the San Antonio airport. He was wearing his signature black cowboy hat and boots. He seemed subdued and a bit depressed. I told him how sorry I was that he had not won the gubernatorial election.

My sister and her husband were sitting at the LAX food court about 15 years ago, and Leonard Nimoy came over and asked if he could share their table. Of course they said yes, but did not talk further with him out of respect for his privacy.

I bartended for about ten years and once about five years ago, I had the entire Blackhawks hockey team came into my bar on a slow Friday afternoon. They had a couple days off before they played our local team, so they told their coach they wanted to go out and see the town. Well, I had never seen a hockey game at that time, so they were jokingly teasing me for not knowing who they were as I carded them. I even said “What gift shop did you get this made in?” when one showed me his players’ union card. And they were one of the best groups of customers I’ve ever served. They just wanted to drink beer and shots, get some wings, play pool, and joke around with me. The really funny part was a couple hours and a $600 tab later-one of their coaches wandered in and apparently they had said they were just grabbing some food. They were NOT supposed to be doing shot after shot of Fireball. Needless to say they rounded everyone up, paid out, and left in a hurry. Super nice guys, very respectful and their captain Toews-who paid for everyone- was an excellent tipper.

I owned a small theater in Los Angeles for a few years and got to meet some pretty neat people. My favorite, though, was getting to meet Peter Falk in our dressing room. I got to sit and chat with him. And got his autograph on my copy of “The Great Race”. He signed on the white part of the DVD, which happened to be Tony Curtiss’s suit. Years later, I had the opportunity to get Tony Curtiss’s autograph on the same DVD and he couldn’t believe Peter had signed on HIS picture.

I’m so sorry about all the “ick” happening for you today. Sending you love.

I met Robert Blake, the actor/accused wife killer, at the Paul McCartney and Wings concert in New York. He was pretty cool for another dunk high dude at a concert. Even knew some of the words to the songs. Glad to see your dog is doing ok. Hopefully the kid is too.

I am a mess whenever my fur children are ill. Celebrities: sat in front of the Pet Shop Boys at Phantom of the Opera inLondon,saw Dave Grohl eating benets at Cafe du monde, got a full on hug from Corey Michael Smith when he was home to visit his mom and stopped by school. Creeped on Claire Danes in an airport. https://possumscatsthingsgnawingatme.wordpress.com/2018/02/22/fine-dining/

Actually an addendum to the bartending story-I also served Scott Wilson from the Walking Dead who was in town for some tattoo convention or something (I live in Nashville) My bar was a locals bar and not many people know about it because it’s upstairs and away from the tourist madness of Broadway, plus we allowed smoking which Mr. Wilson liked because he came back the next day. He was talking to his publicist or someone else he worked with when this group of young kids came in, saw him, and started whispering furiously. Eventually, one of them worked up the courage to go over to him and say “Has anyone ever told you you look JUST like Hershel from the Walking Dead?” He deadpanned back “I’ve heard that once or twice.”

I am a huge fan of the My Favorite Murder podcast, and my husband and I flew to LA to attend LAPodfest so we could see them live. Walking through the lobby of the hotel I saw the hosts, Karen and Georgia. I wasn’t going to approach them, but then Georgia turned around and saw that I was wearing one of their shirts. She called me over and we took pictures together and they were both the sweetest people ever!

We also got to meet the hosts of the Dollop podcast when they came to AZ and they were super cool as well! They signed a poster for us and took pictures. I

My least boring celebrity encounter is the time I commented on Neil Gaiman’s blog something my daughter said in response to a picture there and he posted my comment with “I love my job.”
My kid was so happy.

I saw Elisabeth Moss at a concert in New Orleans and told her my mom’s cat is named after one of her characters (Peggy Olson). She showed me pictures of her cats and introduced me to her brother.
I also saw Mary Steenburgen at DFW airport petting some stranger’s puppy.

Mine’s not really an ‘encounter’ but rather a counter-encounter. I once worked for a playwrite/professor who was meeting with Elizabeth Taylor in San Francisco for lunch. I was invited to tag along but I woosed out because … I didn’t. have. anything. to. wear! DUMB. I KNOW!

I met country signer Gary Morris on a Southwest flight in California, when his 24″ tall red & black ostrich leather boots occupied a seat in between us. Now THOSE are a conversation starter! Hope the weekend is better for both the 2 and 4 legged occupants.

About 20 years ago I was in a bank and when I got up to the teller, you could tell she was frantically trying to signal me with her eyes. I got incredibly freaked out thinking I had walked into a robbery or something. It turned out Steven Tyler had just walked in and she was trying to let me know while playing it cool.

That same year, Sully Erna from Godsmack walked into me (literally) in a pool supply store. He was really short, and really REALLY sweaty.

Ok two stories that aren’t really exciting because ones about a hockey player and the other is a science celeb (but like a B-list science celeb).
1) saw Trevor Linden (hockey player now general manager of the Canucks) at a coffee shop. He was wearing a white cycling kit. I can now say I know that Trevor manscapes. His cycling buddy however does not. (The periles of sitting at a table which gets you eye level with other people’s nether regions)
2) my first celeb crush was on Robert Ballard – the guy who found the Titanic. I got to meet him when I was 10 or so. Yeah. Big old nerd here. With her B-list scientist celeb crush.

Went to a discussion in NYC in a theater about To Kill a Mockingbird. Later, as the crowd was milling around and I was on my phone, I got bumped by someone’s shoulder. My sister caught my eye and nodded past me. It was Stephen Colbert! I asked him if he’d sign my copy of the book but he said he just couldn’t. Mockingbird is his fav book.

We were at dinner in DC before going to an inaugural ball for Bill Clinton in January ’93. Dixie Carter and Hal Holbrook and daughter were at the next table. At one point, she touched his arm and said, “Hal, stop! You’re giving me chilblains!” I’ve never heard anyone else say that word before or since, and I learned how to say it right.

I was eating at Hooter’s prior to an Alan Jackson and Jon Pardi concert. I look up and see Jon Pardi at the bar. At this time, this is his first large tour and I have been a huge fan for several years. So, I scurry past my friend, returning from the restroom, and approach him. I tell him that I don’t want to be one of those people, but I am going to be. We talk and I tell him how I missed one of his shows due to my dad’s funeral. But I tell him how one of his songs really meant a lot to me while caring for my dad. He said it wasn’t in the set, but he would play it for me. I said thanks, went back to my seat and sent him a shot. He raised it to me before he drank it. Fast forward to the show. We have floor seats and have managed to sneak our way to the front row. He finishes his set and then tells a story about meeting a girl at dinner and promising her a song. He then goes into my song. I jump up and start screaming “he’s talking about me!” The people who had been with him at dinner time loved it. Great guy!

I worked at the Boston Ritz-Carlton running an elevator in 1969 when I was in high school. when Jackie Kennedy-Onassis checked in with her children. I was telling my relatives about it at a later date and relating that her voice was low but just wonderful, as was her presence. My aunt said that she’d heard that men didn’t like her voice. I told her. “Yes, that’s why she can never find a good husband.”

oh, also, I went to your book signing in Dallas and brought my son with me. He sat in the floor and started reading Furiously Happy. “OMG, she cusses!” he exclaimed in a loud whisper. When it was our turn for a signing, I could tell his anxiety was getting to him, so I didn’t know how to act. I really wanted to tell you that the bathrooms at Half Price Books look like they’re made of port-a-potties, but I just smiled for a picture and went on. When we got home, my son told the rest of the family, “We saw a lady who wrote this book with cuss words in it!”

When I was 8, I met Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk from the 70’s) at a car show in Buffalo, NY. When it was my turn in line, he scared me, and I wound up crying, thinking he was really The Hulk. Too bad I lost his autograph. Somewhere in the mess of my parents’ photos there is a photo. Maybe I’ll find it one of these years, and probably cry again because the hulk STILL scares me.

I once had dinner with Kirk Cameron because my friend knew him and invited me to a dinner after a conference where he’d been a speaker. I didn’t know who he was so it wasn’t weird until later. Hahahaha!

When I was 12 (a long time ago), my parents and I were having dinner at a fancy place in Columbus, Ohio, and Betsy Palmer was at another table. There was a tent card on the table advertising the play she was appearing in, and my dad handed it to me and said, “There’s Betsy Palmer. Go ask for her autograph.” I didn’t want to, but he painted a very bleak picture of how hurt her feelings would be if no one recognized her, so I did.

I saw Harry Chapin in concert when I was 15, the year before he died. My dad took me and got back stage passes cuz he knew I was a big fan. He kissed me (on the mouth, but a respectful peck) and all I could think of at the time is “Wow is he ugly up close” That kiss is one of my favorite moments.

I was an extra in Cedar Rapids (the movie), and accidentally got in Ed Helms’ way at the dessert table when they fed us.

We have gotten to chat with Randy Newman backstage after shows 4 or 5 times. The best was at Interlochen Music Festival in northern Michigan, when it was just hubs and me and Randy and his manager for about an hour! He’s a very nice person.

Last one… I worked in a new and used CD store for ten years when my kids were little. At the time,. Donny Osmond was calling stores directly to ask store owners to promote his new CD. He mispronounced the owner’s name, so I corrected him and passed the call on. I didn’t find out who was calling until after!

I met Ernest Borgnine (who?) as he got off the tram that runs up the mountain in Palm Springs. He had been drinking. Not much fun. Also got into an elevator with Kareem Abdul Jabar when he played for the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team. He had to duck way down to avoid smacking his head while getting in. His waist was about shoulder level on me, I asked about his bluejeans, and he said Levi’s made them just for him. That was cool.

About 20 years ago I had just started working part time in the children’s section of a local Chapters bookstore. An older gentleman came in on a very quiet evening and asked for help finding a storybook for a friend’s new baby. He was a lovely man and I spent a good half hour helping him find the perfect book and accessories for him. He thanked me kindly and wandered off to the cash. About 20 minutes later my manager came running back to say I had impressed Leonard Cohen so much with my professional attitude and not fawning over him. I had to break her heart and tell her I had no idea who he was, but I learned quickly after that!

I was once in a Pottery Barn and the woman paying in front of me looked so familiar. I knew she was from a tv show I watched, but could not place her. I stalked her all around the mall (which was particularly appalling since she was pushing a baby in a stroller), until it came to me. I shamelessly shouted out “MAN HANDS!” when I realized she played a woman Jerry dated on an episode of Seinfeld who had giant hands. She skulked off and I could clearly see that this happened all the time and she seriously regrets taking that part.

I’m so old, I recognize NONE of the celebrities in the comments! I never knew I was this old until right now. When I was 12 I walked past Vic Damone, who was coming out of Ries Records in Toledo, Ohio. Bet he’s been dead longer than some of you have been alive! Now I’m going to go pluck my gray eyebrows.

I used to watch Lyle Lovett perform at a local pizza place when we were both at Texas A&M – my friend knew him from a committee they both worked on; otherwise, we wouldn’t have even known about his shows. I saw DeForrest Kelley (“Bones” from the original Star Trek) at a shopping mall when I was getting my ears pierced. And, I met Chris Isaak when he signed a concert t-shirt for me – he used a silver Sharpie to autograph it and draw a microphone. Of course, I’m too neurotic to ever wear a concert tee without washing it first, and the ink washed right out. Sharpie ink never does that!

I was at the LAX Starbucks in line behind a couple. The man was having trouble deciding what he wanted but not in an annoying way, he just seemed baffled by the choices. As someone who studies the online menu before I eat out, I sympathize. Someone I was travelling with recognized him as DeMar DeRozan who had just been drafted by the Toronto Raptors and is now a massive superstar. Photographic evidence exists.

Most of my celeb encounters (at least, the ones where I wasn’t purposely trying to meet people) involved the elevator at my office. There was a theater company, and possibly some sort of talent agency, in the building (this is in New York). So once I was in the elevator alone with Steve Schirripa (I didn’t say anything). Another time I got into a very crowded elevator and just heard this voice. He said something about Mrs. Doubtfire and another movie I’ve forgotten. It was Harvey Fierstein! I couldn’t even see him, but I couldn’t mistake that voice. Then there was another time my coworker was trying to surreptitiously point out Katie Holmes, and I didn’t understand what she was doing and missed her 😛

This one isn’t mine but it’s better than mine. My brother-in-law was in college at the time, and was driving past the school’s baseball stadium. He came around a corner and almost hit a little old man who was crossing the road. He was about to roll down the window and yell at the guy when he realized it was Yogi Berra! (and bro-in-law is a HUGE Yankees fan). Because the baseball stadium is actually Yogi Berra stadium with an attached Yogi Berra museum. Which nearly became a Yogi Berra memorial that day.

Last summer, Creed Bratton (the Office) came over to my table at brunch and gushed over my dog and told us stories about his. He was super nice and was apparently in town for a show – the waiters were freaking out after he left.

Oh, and when I was a lifeguard at Michigan State in 1965, Bubba Smith sidled up to the lifeguard chair (which was very tall) and looked me right in the eyes (he was also very tall) and asked me out. I was scared of his enormity and mumbled and pretended someone was drowning and dived into the pool.

Was working a party in LA for Dionne Warwick’s son with my then boyfriend (now hubby).
Mos Def came up to our table to check in and my hubby was so star struck he just said,
“You’re Mos Def!” Mos Def replied with a smile and said, “Yes I am.” He was very nice
and it just made me love my man more.

The Baldwin brothers (Alec, Daniel, Stephen, William) are seen from time to time around the Syracuse NY area because their mother and at least one of their sisters live there. Their sister was a substitute teacher at my middle school. She was super nice and very proud of her siblings. I have seen one or more of Baldwin brothers at various places around town including a local tennis center and the grocery store.

I spent Bout 30 minutes at a Costco once stalking Heywood Banks because I couldn’t get a clear enough look at his face to be sure it was him, and I gave up and checked out and left and then I got out to the parking lot and THERE HE WAS three cars down from me, but he was still turned away from me, so like a completely sane person I shoved my grocery into my trunk and fast as ever I could and walked past him to the cart corral, and on my way back we made eye contact and I started to talk to him AND I BLANKED ON HIS NAME. I just sort of stammered out “Hey, you uh look like the guy who sings Big Butter Jesus.” and he sort of nodded and said “Yeah, I am.” and then told me that I’m a better citizen than him, because I returned my cart.

At a going-away dinner for a friend I was seated next to the Pet Psychic, Sonya Fitzpatrick, a supposed ‘friend’ of the honoree. She arrived late and left early, sticking the group with her hefty dinner tab. When asked to reimburse for her meal the next day, she replied “I never pay for meals — I’m a celebrity and my presence is a gift”.

I met tori Amos in the 90s and I was thinking of all these cool things to say to her that would make me sound worldly and not like a stalker. But instead when I went up to her I yelled. “ you are so cool” in a weird squeaky voice. I actually looked behind me to see who the idiot was. Oh, it was me. She was nice tho. She said I’m sure you’re cool too and gave me a hug. Even though, clearly, I am the opposite of cool.

I’m sure your kiddo will be fine w mine needa a heart ultrasound wednsday and it’s sipposed to be just a precaution but I’m trying not to think about how it’s a precaution for her heart which is planning to eat her. So I get it.

A near-encounter: I was once shopping at my local Whole Foods and was utterly perplexed by the behavior of a bunch of girls who were giggling and peeking around the corners of the aisles. When they saw me looking at them they explained that Common was in the store (later confirmed by my cashier, who was beside herself with excitement, and who said he was in town filming a movie). At the time I had no idea who he was. I wish I had, because I would very likely have joined those girls in stalking him around the store. He is a very handsome fellow.

Asked directions from a stranger in California who turned out to be actor Robert Picardo (he was helpful & knows his way around the Pasadena area,FYI ). Less than a year later same friend and I randomly ended up in a hotel elevator with him on the East Coast. We assume he’s still following us.

Oh, and I saw Huey Lewis sitting on a bench outside a hotel in a Dallas suburb. I asked for his autograph, and he seemed really excited that somebody recognized him. My friend insisted that he was in love with me and still teases me about it 12 years later.

I cleared Prince Phillip of England through Customs in Brownsville, Tx. He was coming from Mexico City, and they made a technical fuel stop. He wasn’t supposed to leave the pplane, but the Confederate Air Force had landed at the airport, and Prince Phillip deplaned to look at all theWWII planes, as he had been a pilot during the war.

Joe Cocker lived for the last 20ish years of his life about 20 miles from my parents’ place. He moved there when I was in 7th or 8th grade and all the ranchers and farmers in the tiny town he moved to FREAKED OUT, because presumably he was going to invite all of his rock star friends over and they would have orgies in the town square? I guess? Not sure but what he really did was a lot of awesome stuff for the kids in the area, like donating his home gym equipment to my high school and helping to fund a skate park and outdoor amphitheater. My favorite was when, playing on the fears of the townsfolk, he took out a full page ad in the weekly county newspaper announcing the gigantic radio tower he was going to build in the center of town “just for the hell of it.” People were Not Pleased and then in the next week’s paper he had to take out another ad to point out that the previous newspaper had come out on April 1st.

This story is more from memories of my family than my actual memory, but when I was probably 5 or 6 years old (49-50 years ago), my Mom was a semi-professional folk singer and ran a coffee house. She was (and still is) fairly famous in the mid-hudson valley of NY, but certainly not nationally known. Anyway, we went to an early fundraiser festival for the Clearwater Sloop, and they had an open mic set. I (with my Mom’s help) sang Ragtime Cowboy Joe ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragtime_Cowboy_Joe ). In the middle of the song, I heard someone had joined us on the stage and was backing me up with the banjo. We finished, to rather wild applause for a 5 year old, who while reasonably talented, still sang like a child… My Mom asked me, somewhat wild eyed “Do you know who that was on stage with you”? And I answered her, like she was an idiot who had never left the house “That was Pete Seeger, didn’t you recognize him”?

Reactions and ultrasounds and no power 😦
No celebrities per say but we did get to see the 40 year old rock fish who had one eye surgically removed after an infection that has spent all its life in our local aquarium after swimming in as a wee baby 🙂

I once met John Barrowman in a restaurant in London completely randomly. I was getting up to leave and popped up literally under his nose. I babbled something at him and told him to have a nice dinner. He thanked me and that was it.

I also got a photo with Lena Heady (Cersei from Game of Thrones) at a convention while I was wearing Steampunk garb. I walked up in a corset and she said ‘WOW what a rack!’ and I don’t think I’ve ever been more flattered in my life.

Leo, Newt & I are all sending Dorothy Barker and Hailey and you all the love and happy healing thoughts.

I was also in a college psychology class with Craig Swan (NY Mets Pitcher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craig_Swan ) after his baseball career ended, when we were both taking night classes to see what we would do next. I wound up in IT. He is apparently a masseuse now.

A few years ago I was at a sci-fi convention, it was a smaller show and I was acquainted with the show runners. I don’t remember who else was at this particular convention because I’m really not that into the whole celebrity thing but Richard Hatch was there and 11-year-old-me had such a huge crush on Richard Hatch that she got up at 7am on Saturday Morning to watch Battlestar Galatica reruns (11-year-old-me didn’t need sleep either I guess).
Just about my favorite part of any convention is the dance/concerts/musical acts. Because I am also a huge music nerd and because I am now too old to care if I look silly on the dance floor. And who should turn up at the dance on Saturday night but Richard Hatch. But I am mature and not really into the whole celebrity thing so I did not squeal like 11-year-old-me.
This lasted right up to the point where Richard Hatch asked me to dance and then I screamed internally for about half an hour, which was pretty much how long we danced. 11-year-old-me would be so proud of how cool Old-Me is and how I did not totally lose it in the face of cutting a rug with Captain Apollo.

I once shared an elevator with Sonny Bono(and the person I assume was his minder) I was an intern in Congress. I’m still not positive what he was doing in the Senate office building basement. Neither of them spoke at all, even when I asked what floor they were going to. It was very creepy. Another encounter (not with Sonny) was in NYC. My mom and I had gone to theatre and dinner. We were headed one way to the restaurant and this guy in a really nice blue and yellow argyle sweater was headed the other. He was checking his phone. Nearly asked him where he got the sweater(as I was looking for a Christmas present for my brother) when I realized that the message checking sweater wearer was Matthew Broderick. I figured his wife had given him the sweater and got my brother something else that year. And I once waited on Art Carney. He was this very tall older white haired guy. Liked seafood. Had no idea who he was till my boss told me.

You are my celebrity encounter. You were on the same airport bus as my family and I (Denver, I think…). I didn’t say anything because I’m a believer in letting people just be people and live their lives (and I’m a serious introvert), but I totally freaked out when we got off the bus. I squealed like a school girl to my husband – “Oh my gawd! Do you know who that was? One of my favorite authors! Squeeee!” He, of course, had no clue…

Very sorry it has been such a rough day for Haylie and Dorothy. I had drinks with Jerry O’Connell once about 20 years ago. Hotel bar in Atlanta where he was filming Scream 2. I told him how much I loved “Stand By Me” and he was so happy to meet someone who remembered him from that movie as a kid that he bought my drink. Super nice guy. Also met David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Jamie Kennedy, and Neve Campbell….cordial but they weren’t Jerry O’Connell level awesome.

Oh AND the summer after graduating high school (2000), I went with some friends to a tiny metal club in Tulsa and the band playing was Disturbed. None of us knew who they were yet, but their managers invited us to an after party. We didn’t go because we were all 18 and nerdy.

I met Ralph Fiennes, Harriet Walter, John Hurt and Alan Rickman one whirlwind night at the Almeida Theatre in London. Alan Rickman kept staring at me from across the courtyard which gave me enough courage to go up and ask for an autograph. He was kind and gracious.

My friend has the best celeb story, though. After Prince passed away, she informed me that she was working for his law firm for a time and was the paralegal that put together the documents for his name change to the symbol. She presented the documents to him for signature and was a witness on the affidavit.

My grandfather is Buddy Ebsen. Depending on your generation you may not know that he played Jed Clampett on the original Beverly Hillbillies. So much of my young life was being the adoring grandchild of an actor who loved being in the spotlight.

Walked right by Liza Minnelli in Galveston once before I recognized her. Had been unable to get a ticket to her sold out show. Always thought that if I had only gone back and told her how much I really wanted to see her show, she would have gotten me in, right?

Last weekend I was at Disneyland and yesterday Mindy Kaling was at Disneyland so I didn’t meet her but that’s probably the closest I’ve ever come to meeting someone so cool. Also once though, I hugged Weird Al because he was walking through a park. That was awesome.

Let’s see:
* Unintentionally made fun of Joss Whedon, TO HIS FACE, and my friend laughed the whole time I was basically put in my place for it. Yes, I’m a huge Buffy fan.
* Drove Peter Murphy (of Bauhaus) to a gig, as he sang along to the Cocteau Twins I was playing in my car.
* Paged by David J (also Bauhaus) over the SFO loudspeakers, and was both giddy and horribly embarrassed as the 2-3 other people who recognized the name proceeded to stare at me when I went running.
* Saw Richard Simmons, gesticulating wildly in a way only he can, at the New Orleans airport.
Those are the amusing ones, anyway. Feel better!

At a rally back when we had HOPE, I was front & center to see & hear Barack Obama speak before he was elected to his second term. When he was finished; he said he was going to shake some hands; only when he got to me he pulled me in for a HUGE ASS HUG!! It was a crazy blur & I can still hear my moms squeal in my mind & he smelled so friggin good. That day was electric; he created such a positive energy. Later my mom & I went to lunch & some ladies saw me & flipped out; they were there too & had seen him hug me on the big screens.

I was in the women’s bathroom at the Atlanta airport one time in 2004, I think? Anyway. In walks Sandra Bullock. Swear to God. She is SUPER tall, and she was wearing heels, but I’m like 5’10” and she towered over me. ANYway. This woman says to her “I just wanted to say thank you for what you did. That was so incredibly sweet.” She actually blushes and looks awkward and says “Oh, well, shoot, it was the LEAST we could do. Really.” Sandra does her thing and leaves. I couldn’t help myself. I asked the woman “What did Sandra do?!” The woman told me: Sandra and her then-husband who shall not be named were in 1st class when 2 soldiers on leave boarded for coach. They gave up their seats to the soldiers and went back and sat in coach all the way from the west coast.

I met Jon Bon Jovi whenI was a freshman in high school. I was and still am a HUGE Bon Jovi fan. He was kind and gracious and handsome as always. It may sound corny but without their music I don’t know how I would have made it through high school (and this far through adulthood, lol.)

I met Donald Sutherland when he pulled up to my parking attendant booth at the airport. He had 3 Nuns in the old black & white habits in the car with him and he was driving. He was in town filming The Rosary Murders and they picked him up at the airport. He was very nice, so were the sisters.

I worked at a telemarketing center taking hotel reservations for a casino chain. Nascar driver Rusty Wallace called asking for a room during the busiest week of the year. When I told him I couldn’t help him he asked if I knew who he was. ‘Yes sir I do and my coworker is going to be crazy jealous I got this call, but I don’t have any authority to help you. I recommend you call the casino directly at this number…”

Kevin Costner wouldn’t let me and my mom hug him in a French Quarter bar, but he DID shake our hands and let us call him ‘Kevvie’. it was a fun story for us, but the look on his face said it was not so much for him, ha. unrelated, he filmed a movie near my father’s rural postal route (in a different state) and Kevvie was very polite every day when they had to stop filming and let my dad drive through. clearly, my family WAS BORN to annoy Kevvie.

So many moons ago, during the Bad Hair Day tour, I was getting married. My friends got together and got my ex and I tickets to see weird Al in concert.

We stuck around for autographs afterwards, and weird Al was coming around. Al got close to us, then started to leave. My best friend at the time yelled out that he had to sign something for the bride, so he came over.

He assumed she was getting married, so she introduced me as the bride. However, when she went to introduce the groom, we found he had disappeared.

She looked at him straightfaced and asked “there’s no groom. Do you want a bride?” It was the only question (and there were a lot of weird questions being shouted) that made him pause.

His reply was no. And that’s the story of how I was offered as a bride to weird Al Yankovic.

I met Chris Hadfield (astronaut) – totally nice guy — Just exactly what you think a Canadian would be. Sat across from Robert Thurman at lunch one day ( he’s famous in his own right, & also Uma Thurman’s dad). That’s about as glamourous as my life has been. On the other hand I have spoken to murderers – not glamourous, but unusual ( I think).

I went to high school with Patrick Swayze. We were in 10th grade geometry together. He was a senior, I think. We walked to gym together almost every day. He always smelled like Spearmint gum. He was incredibly nice and down to earth.

In college (mid 90s), I met Cheech in Park City, UT at a restaurant opening… My friend and I told him we loved his movies and he took us out to the parking garage and shared a joint with us!! The whole experience was so surreal!

My dad has a great story too… sometime back in the 50s or 60s he was driving on a back road in Arizona when he was rear ended by John Wayne! Apparently he cussed my dad out, gave him $100 to cover damages and then took off.

Years ago, before they moved the company overseas :-(, Capitol Records manufactured albums here in my hometown. When Garth Brooks released one of his big albums, he came to do PR for it. The company was right across the street from the Head Start program where I worked. It was really cool that he came over and talked to our students and parents.
Years before that, then President Ronald Reagan came to a farm near here. His helicopter landed at the high school I attended! My husband was a photographer for a very small newspaper but he got a press pass and was able to get some good photos. Our kids and I tromped through a muddy corn field and were there to hear the president speak. That was a great experience for all of us!

These are awesome stories! From cons: I’ve hugged Xander Harris from Buffy, Jewel Staite admired my son in his Browncoat costume at a con, my brother gave Wil Wheaton a bottle of (local and very good) beer, Jonathan Frakes is completely charming (and handsome), and Alice Cooper called me an intellectual.

Years ago, they had the premiere of the movie “Throw Mama from the Train” near my hometown. My mom, sister, and I went to see the stars. My mom brought a camera. She managed to get a picture of Danny DeVito. Back then you had to wait to get your pictures developed to see how they turned out. We get our pictures back. Now, my mom is only 5’3”/5’4”. But, Danny DeVito is so short that the picture is of the top of his head. We’ve never let her take pictures again.

Oh boy, which story…
I met Craig Ferguson and Brenda Blethyn at the Hollywood Premiere of his movie “Saving Grace”. Brenda was tipsy, incredibly charmingly, and much younger and prettier than in the movie. Craig posed for a photo with a picture of my friend who was a MASSIVE fan but could not make it. Drew Carey was there too.

Dave Foley is very nice and lovely too. I met him backstage at a Barenaked Ladies show, and then spoke to him again some years later at a tiny venue where Kids in The Hall were doing a reunion show. Kevin McDonald is the nicest celebrity ever. I had a friend who had car trouble and couldn’t make it and he told me that if we wanted to come back with her the next day he’d leave tickets for us.

Also I’ve been naked in a pool with all five members of Barenaked Ladies. There were about a thousand other naked people surrounding the pool. There’s a picture somewhere on the internet.

Anthony Head caught the toddler I was chasing down the 4th street Promenade in Santa Monica.

Jenny Lawson was warm and friendly at her book signing and utterly charming with my then-two year old daughter. 😀 Also, I sat behind Anne Wheaton and she has amazingly perfect hair.

I’m a type 1 diabetic, and I had my very first hypoglycemic event while sitting next to Steve Martin. At the first performance of his play, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile.” For some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to climb over the author, walk down a set of hollow risers to the lip of the stage, then turn around and walk out. I was lucky that the bar had Coca-cola, with its 45 grams of high fructose corn syrup per serving Sometimes, a snippet of that play will come back to me.

Last summer I was doing a segway tour of Austin and I stopped for a few minutes and a guy that looked just like Tobey Maguire was walking down the street, wearing sunglasses. I looked under his sunglasses and he smiled at me and winked because it WAS Tobey Maguire. I smiled and turned my segway and rolled on. Because that’s what we do in Austin.

My friend (& roomie) and I were quite the hair band groupies back in college. The day of the Bon Jovi concert, we decided to try to find their hotel. My senior year in high school, we did all our big events at the Don CeSar on St. Pete Beach. The day of our Senior Breakfast, Bryan Adams was there practicing on his balcony (most seniors skiipped school and stayed out on the beach after breakfast). The morning after prom there, those who spent the night at the Don reported that Tom Petty did an impromptu concert/practice session on the roof. I assumed Bon Jovi would stay there, too. So, my friend and I walked into and through the lobby, like we belonged there. No one questioned us. As we walked by the lobby bar toward the doors to the patio & pool area, we noticed Tico Torres speaking to a reporter on the couch and Richie Sambora at the bar. We sat down next to Richie and struck up a conversation. He was very nice. On our way back through the lobby, we detoured to the restroom near the ballroom, only to see a couple security guys by the ballroom door. They told us Bon Jovi was to do a photo shoot (for Rolling Stone) there and told us we needed to leave. As we turned to walk off, Jon and Dave Bryan got off the elevator and walked toward us. They stopped to give autographs and chat. As we left the hotel, we heard a security guard saying they needed to keep fans out. Ha! She also worked at a record store while we were in college, so we got to meet a lot of bands there. When the guys from Slaughter got stuck in bad traffic, they told us to bring anything the other store employees wanted signed and meet them at the airport. We did and got to hang out with them for a while. they were incredibly nice, too.

I met Morgan Freeman last year at a small cocktail reception. I went up to him and said, instead of I loved you in Shawshank, I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO MEET EASY READER. He was not ready for this. I’m sure he thought no one remembered him on the electric company, but I remwmbered, because I am old. As I waited for my friend to take a photo, he pulled me in and said, you’re just an arm full of goodness. And then I died.

I befriended some of the crew during the filming of The Fisher King in Manhattan by juggling for them. I hung out with them all day and got to meet Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, who both signed one of my juggling clubs.

Jenny, I’m sorry for your long day. I hope things have smoothed out now (and not just the Quasimoto hump).

These celebrity stories make me smile. I was once walking up Newbury Street in Boston on a very windy, rainy night and bumped smack into someone because I was walking with my head down. I looked up and said, “Sorry!” and it was Dan Aykroyd. He is very tall, and very solid. He didn’t seem mad.

I also recently went to see Tanya Donelly in concert because my husband is a superfan. I went into the bathroom and she was in there, so we refreshed our makeup together and chatted. My husband still dies of jealousy whenever he thinks of it.

When I was really little (3 or 4), Gordon from Sesame Street was at the mall signing autographs. I was so star struck (I adored Sesame Street), I wouldn’t go near him, just stood at a distance watching. My parents were super patient, and when he was finishing up they took me over to meet him. I don’t remember much, but I do remember he got down on my level, talked to me like I was the most important little girl in the world, and he gave me the best hug ever!

Back in 1995 my mom (who was a court reporter in LA) and I went to see if we could get into the courtroom with the OJ trial, but after a series of misadventures with the metal detector, a can of illegal mace, a Swiss Army knife and a scary bailiff, it ended up that the courtroom was closed for jury selection. So we picked another courtroom to view and it was full of cameras. There were all these REALLY nice looking ladies on a bench, and I made them scooch over for me and my mom, and then we were trying to see who was on trial. When we could finally see past the lights and TV cameras, I was like, “Oh my gosh, it’s Heidi Fleiss!” And then I looked at all the women next to me and was like, “Ohhhhhh…..” And then hoped maybe I’d get on camera next to one of them. But I didn’t.

On the day before Thanksgiving when our daughter was 2, she came down with some sort of virus with a moderately high fever. Her pediatrician suggested we not make the 6 hour drive to Grandmas for the holiday. I went on psycho mommy mode to “make” a full on Thanksgiving dinner.
Off to our local Randalls’s for ALL the necessities. There was a guy at the meat counter talking to the butcher in a strong southern drawl. In my power mommy moment, I couldn’t be bothered to notice that it was Matthew McConaughey.
After we had stepped away, my husband asked if I recognized the guy at the meat counter.
Aaaack, I turned around to stalk him and just barely caught a glimpse.

I filled in for a friend as a stylist on an infomercial in the 90s and I not only met Robert Urich, I also ironed his pants and convinced him to unbotton the top button on his sweater so he didn’t look super uptight.

I once met David Carradine (when he was still alive, thank you very much) at a small comic con. It was about a year before Kill Bill was released, and he was still doing cons on his “Kung Fu” fame.

I asked if I could take a picture with him, and he stepped around to the front of his table and allowed my husband to take our photo. Then, he turned to me, looked me up and down as though I were a steak dinner, turned back to my husband, and said, “You got yourself a man-sized woman. I always wanted one of those.” The vodka fumes emitting from his mouth were making me feel drunk. Did I mention it was 10:30am? I angrily made get-me-the-fuck-out-of-here eyes at my husband, who was silently laughing his ass off behind his old 35mm camera as he kept snapping photos for at least another minute.

I’m glad Dorothy Barker is better! I used to have a Papillon that looked very much like your Dorothy. Love that breed. My “celebrity” encounter is that I used to work with Dr. Beck Weathers, the pathologist from Dallas who was left for dead on Mount Everest (three times on the same climbing expedition) in 1996 and ended up losing his hands, nose, and some toes to frostbite.

I met the lovely and vivacious Jenny Lawson at her book signing in Louisville last year. Got my boos signed and gave her a note on a yellow notecard that she posted to Instagram the next day! Best.celebrity.meeting.ever!

First of all sorry for all the bad things going on right now for y’all.

Secondly was sitting here thinking I’ve never had a celebrity encounter but then realized I’ve had a bunch especially for someone that leads a boring life. Sat next to Kiefer Sutherland in a hotel in New Orleans right after Julia Roberts dumped him and that was all I could remember about him. Not that he starred in some of my favorite movies but that his romance had gone wrong so I wisely just chatted with him about things to do and see while in NO while hubby just stared at us both.

Shopped the mark down racks at Dillard’s Department store with Usher in Atlanta at Christmas while being stared down by bodyguards. I had no intention of harassing him just wanted to stare at him because he is a BEAUTIFUL man. Hubby had no idea who he was and was still clueless when I told him.

Been on a plane with Wolfman Jack and he gave us the standard airline speech which was so cool. Met Paula Deen while shopping in Savannah and she was just as sweet as she appears on tv. She’s also a very tiny person and this was before she lost weight. Sat next to Ron Jeremy on a flight to Jamaica a couple years ago and he’s one nasty looking man. Only one other guy and I recognized him so try explaining that one to hubby since he didn’t realize who he was. I only knew who he was from The Surreal Life (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it)

Favorite story is standing outside Hard Rock Café in Atlanta listening to the guys from Bon Jovi singing karaoke with Chris Daughtry. It was end of concert tour so they were having party for the crew so we weren’t allow in but got to stand outside watching and listening which was amazing!!!!! We were very respectful as the guys left at various times and didn’t ask for pics, autographs or anything just congratulated them on awesome tour and private concert we got to witness. Best night ever!

Related to Dorothy Barker’s Quasimodo hump: years ago I had a cat named Ozzy who had kidney issues, and he had to get fluids twice a week. After every appointment we’d call him “Ozzy-modo”. (Yeah, we have a low threshold for amusement)

I was waiting for a table at Mexican food restaurant with my ex-wife (she was my wife then) when Huey Lewis walks in and asks the hostess how long the wait was for a table. She says, “About 30 minutes.” Mr. Lewis thinks for a moment (he had that “I’m thinking” look), then says in a nice manner, “That’s okay” and walks back out the door. I said to my then wife, “Hey, that was Huey Lewis.”

In 1981, I was teaching Home Economics at Campbell High School in Smyrna, Georgia. In walks this cute, bubbly girl who wanted to be in my class. She was a freshman, but the class was for sophomores and older. She assured me she was “very mature for her age”. And who was this girl? Julie (Julia) Roberts!!! Well, she was allowed to enroll in my class. And she was delightful. Had the greatest laugh. I read a few years ago that she said if she had not become an actress that she would like to have been a home economics teacher!

When I was 14, I moved to a part of Los Angeles that had a LOT of celebrities. I remember my mother cautioning me that these were just PEOPLE who were AT HOME doing what everyone else does (Yes, even Walter Mattau walked his own sheep dog) , and that I/we shouldn’t make a big deal over them because they KNOW WE KNOW who they are. So I’ve never been particularly star struck. As a young adult I worked in a restaurant in another part of LA, similarly populated with celebrities, so I regularly waited on Pat Riley (LA Lakers coach at the time) (such a nice man!), Ron Ely (Tarzan), one of the guys who played The Joker in the Batman series, OJ Simpson (before he was famous for killing/not killing his wife), Rosie Greer (I was young and he was a lot older) and the nicest elderly man who used to be in John Wayne movies, Hank Worden, and a lot of others.

Once, Adrienne Jo Barbeau was silently practicing her lines at a counter stool with full facial expressions and some movement. She’d been in often, but I didn’t know her because I didn’t have a TV for about five years during that time and didn’t know who she was (she was at her height of popularity). She looked a bit loony doing it, but I knew she wasn’t a crazy person, so I asked her what she was doing. She told me, and when asked told me her name. I was a bit sorry to have to explain that I had no idea who she was. She didn’t seem bothered by it.

I have a very unusual last name, shared by a famous (Supporting actor Academy Award winning) actor. I called to make a reservation at a nice Malibu ocean-view restaurant for brunch. When I gave my last name for the reservation, the host asked for a “contact number.” It wasn’t until we arrived and they looked puzzled when we weren’t who they thought we were that we realized their misunderstanding. I wasn’t even thinking about it when I gave my last name, because, hey, it’s just my last name. The worst part of the brunch was when Edie Murphy strolled by to go to his table and one of our guests (originally from Nebraska) shouted out, “LOOK! THERE’S EDDIE MURPHY!” I just wanted to crawl under the table, as you probably would guess from my mother’s cautions (first paragraph). At least I know that the restaurant employees figured out we weren’t scamming the restaurant for a good table – because we DID pay with a credit card with our famous last name on it.

I met and shook hands with the members of Pink Floyd at a private tour launch party. It was 1987, I was 23 and had met the wife of their personal manager in a record store my friend worked at in Toronto. The band was in the city doing a world tour prep.We hung out all summer and in Sept, they had a private party to which my friend and I were invited. the wife,
Joanna, introduced us and they gave us free tickets to the first concert on the tour.
She also asked me to be her nanny and travel with them , as I was good with her toddler and baby. I declined, but I occasionally think what my life would be had I said yes.
By the way, I was a hairstylist at the time and I did become a Nanny a few yrs later.

I was working retail in Los Angeles and this very elegant man simply did not want to wait in line. We’d often see huge people who’d been famous for decades, and I’d even waited on some of my own heroes. Who was this man?
He kept trying to cut in but he’d always step back when I’d smile and politely ask him to give me a moment more to wait on the ones in front of him. He held himself gracefully erect, like a dancer. He was dressed casually but made his outfit look like something really fun to wear. Finally his turn came at the cash register. He calmly but firmly gave me his credit card. Ru Paul.

How about Tom Selleck? He almost ran me over, when he came zooming out of the upper level of the parking garage of the Canoe Club in Honolulu in his Mercedes, slamming on the brakes when he saw I was midway across the garage entry on the sidewalk crossing it. I stopped dead, when I heard the brakes screech. His car came to a halt about 5 feet from me. That’s when I turned to look and realized who it was. But I was also a little ticked off that the car had come zooming out of the garage so fast, so I put my left hand on my hip, and shook the index finger of my right hand at him, like a school ma’rm. This was in the early 1980s, when he was gorgeous, and he would work out at the Canoe Club, or so I heard. He got a sheepish look on his face and dipped his head apologetically. I thrust my nose in the air and continued my walk along the sidewalk.

But that’s not the best one. The best one happened when I first moved to Hawaii. I got a job as a camera girl, taking photos of tourists in restaurants. I was very new to it, and the photography company had taken me to a restaurant in the International Market Place named The Crow’s Nest. I was in my early 20s, wearing a long muu muu, as was required for the job. I’d been trained to stop at EVERY table, even if there was only one person sitting there, chat them up, and ask if they would like a souvenir photograph taken, so I started on one side of the restaurant, which wasn’t that full, and made my way around. There was a single man sitting at a booth, so I greeted him, asked how his evening was going, and asked if he would like his photograph taken. He looked vaguely familiar, but I’m one of those people for whom everyone looks like someone else. My husband thinks the CIA should have hired me, because of my facial recognition skills.

Long story short, he had been the star of a TV show that was on in the mid-1960s. This happened in 1971. It was a military war show, which I’d never watched. A drama.

He was clearly in his cups. He asked me if I recognized him. I very nicely said he looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t recall from where. He then wanted me to sit down at the booth, and tried to hold my hand, likely to “educate” me on who he was, but I politely declined, explaining that I wasn’t allowed to do that because I was working. He then proceeded to raise his voice, start yelling about how I didn’t know anything, and after his voice going up even more, I got whisked away by one of the other staff, and put out of sight into the storage room behind the bar.

The staff told me it wasn’t my fault. I said “Damn straight.” They said he was a regular who often drank too much and caused a scene for one reason or another. I’m guessing he caused scenes because he wasn’t acting in them, anymore. I had to remain in the closet until he left.

The night was not a complete lost cause, earnings-wise, though. After they let me out of the storage room, I ended up taking the photo of a single man at the bar who tried very hard to convince me he was Bobby Darin. He wasn’t. Bobby Darin had already passed away by then, not to mention that he didn’t look at all like Bobby Darin, but he not only bought the photos, he also gave me a $20 tip. I think he must have witnessed the slight brouhaha and just wanted to be nice.

I saw the deliciously handsome “While You Were Sleeping” star who is also the owner of a more recent “Grace and Frankie” extended cameo, Peter Gallagher, while he was shopping alone in a Victoria’s Secret. Everyone around him pretended not to notice that he looked mighty handsome against all that pink and lace.

Too many celeb stories to choose – but I wanted to ask you if, in your long tedious health travails, you have ever explored the possibility of Ehlers-Danos Syndrome, a genetic connective-tissue disease. There are various types, & various symptoms (many of which you have reported). Stomach problems are a big one; joint pain, etc. Anyway, if this isn’t old news to you, you & Hailey should maybe check it out. Doctors rarely come up with the diagnosis without being pointed to it (a DNA test is needed to confirm). My best friend’s daughter saw a connective-tissue specialist on my urging, & it turned out that she had it, explaining all of the different dibilitating symptoms she’d stuggled with all her life.

I just read the entry above mine (#630, mine was #361). In High School, our daughters had to shadow someone who did what they hoped do as a career. I ended up calling the mother of one of the students at the school where I work, knowing she was a makeup artist in the movie industry. My daughter was thrilled because it turned out that she was the makeup artist for Jennifer Love Hewitt on GHOST WHISPERER, and agreed to take her for a work day. Jennifer Love Hewitt even let my daughter powder her face. She was in heaven and said that JLH was very kind to her that day.

When I was in my 20’s I lived in CA. One day I was in the checkout line in the grocery store.
Clint Eastwood was in front of me. He apologized profusely for dropping a can of peaches
on my foot. I lost a toenail. When I was 40, I was in the Elephant Room in Austin when he
turned on his barstool and knocked over his beer. He apologized profusely for trashing my
shirt. I’m in my 60’s now and wondering what the hell he’s gonna do next.

Well, the first celebrity meeting that comes to mind is Barbara Bush on Kennebunkport Beach one summer because of the learning experience, lol! I was there for my daughter’s surf lessons when I noticed at a distance an older woman, walking regally along the beach with her two dogs and a younger gentleman not far behind. Recognizing her immediately and thinking how many times does this happen in your life, I hurried up the sand dunes to the First Lady to introduce myself and ask for a picture. She was polite and accommodating but looked annoyed that someone recognized her. Here’s a fun fact, never ask a secret service agent if they can take a picture for you. Turns out as I learned that day, they cannot have their hands unnecessarily occupied while on duty. Regardless, I am glad I did it. Once in a lifetime moments and my daughter caught some great waves that day!

I was in Vancouver photographing Blue Herons. I hid in some bushes as not to scare
The birds away. When I crawled back out with my telephoto lens, I ran into Steven Tyler who thought I was Paparazzi skulking in the bushes to get a photo of him

Sending many paw-sitive thoughts (haha) for Dorothy Barker and for you and Hailey and Victor. And for Ferris Mewler, because even a jerk cat should have good thoughts sent his way. (Can I call your cat a jerk? I feel like it’s not socially acceptable to call someone else’s cat a jerk even if they have complained about said cat…)

Back in the 90’s I went to a Michael Bolton concert with a friend who was pregnant at the time. Sitting in front of us were some marketing folks from a local radio station. They had backstage passes with them that they were supposed to give to some people who called the station and won the tickets and passes as a prize, but the marketing people didn’t like the winners so they took us backstage instead. When we got backstage, my pregnant friend threw up in a garbage can, then started having Braxton Hicks right when she was shaking MB’s hand. He freaked a little. When he shook my hand I freaked a little because he had the softest hands I’ve ever touched in my life. Very unnatural…

I took my visiting male relatives to a Friday Night Car Show where Jay Leno would put in a regular appearance as -just one of the guys, strolling to look at everyone’s muscle and collector cars and vintage motorcycles and casually chatting with people. My brother was already flipping out at all the rust-free California classic cars when he’d misheard me talking over the revving engines about Jay and replied to me “Oh man, that would be so great to see him.” I said, “No, I said, he’s standing right behind you.” My brother was thrilled to pieces but wouldn’t talk to him. I had all kinds of cred with my dudes for years after that.

So I am sure people have written about meeting you (I have not read all the comments). This will forever be one of my favorite stories/pictures! We brought my son with us so I could meet you at one of your book signings. He was going through a hair pulling phase and sure enough reached down and pulled your hair! You can see how mortified I am! Normally I would have been running or at least hiding somewhere, but you were wonderful, like always. Thank you.
(Could not figure out any other way to get the pic to post! I’m gifted!)https://dramamama365.wordpress.com/2018/02/24/for-jenny/

Owen Wilson once glanced down my top – he’s very tall and it was a rather low-cut top! (it was at a movie wrap party – my husband is a carpenter who builds film and TV sets. My work parties are not as interesting).

I was at the cemetary trying to get my mom and her wheel chair up a small hill and DOG, THE BOUNTY HUNTER came out freaking nowhere and pushed her up the hill. He left as mysteriously and quickly as he appeared. My mother was not impressed ” you need a damned haircut and you wear more jewelry than I have on” was her gracious thank you.
Hope thbgs go better foe you.

back in the mid-eighties, a musician friend of mine knew a roadie for Steve Winwood, who was coming to play a show in Seattle. My friend was crushed that he couldn’t go at the last minute, so he gave his two tickets and backstage passes to Me, a person to whom things like this do not happen.
The show was great- Level 42 opened for him- and then it was time to go backstage. I was skinny from my diet of cigarettes and tequila. My idea of dressing up had been to wear some punk clothes, several sets of earrings, a shoulder strap off a suitcase as a belt and my black leather biker jacket and I thought I was fabulous -but the room was filled with young girls in what looked like prom dresses or something, some radio station contest. He didn’t comment when I gave him my backstage pass to autograph. I just said “Great show, thank you” in a voice that came out kind of small. Then my friend and I went and got drunk.

I have seen David Sedaris speak twice, and both times my husband had to ask him to sign my book copy because I froze. Right at the table. Could not move. Total fan girl fear response. Thank the nerd gods my husband is “normal” enough to speak to another human.

I once flashed my tits at John Stamos during Mardi Gras, saw Cliff Clavin almost stabbed with a steak knife as he drunkenly hit on a punk girl in an all night fifties dinner during the KY derby, had James Earl Jones tell me he wouldn’t sign an autograph as I worked catering a lifetime movie in NC, had Trent Reznor ‘s choreographer offer to blow pot smoke down my cleavage, and served BJ Honeycutt breakfast at a Holiday Inn restaurant. BJ Honeycutt was the nicest one by far.

Saw Jared Padalecki (Sam from Supernatural and Dean from Gilmore Girls) when I was in the valet lane at the W in Austin in April 2016. He saw me schlepping my overnight bag and trying to sauvely carry it into the hotel when I realized that I had obviously packed too much and really needed a wheeled bag. Started sweating profusely when I realized who it was and that he is incredibly tall and even better looking in person than on TV! He was at the same Kaleo concert I went to last fall and I never crossed paths with him then, yet I saw several posts on social media with him in the exact same places I was. SMH!

I have a few but will tell you about meeting Joshua Jackson several years ago in an airport in Austin, standing in line to get tickets. I said,”Has anyone ever told you you look like that guy from Dawson’s Creek?” He said,”I am that guy.” I said,”You are not!” because I’m smooth like that. He was so nice and helped everyone near him on the plane (in coach no less), even helping a woman with twin babies, watching one while the grandmother went to the loo. On the other end of the spectrum, I literally bumped into Quentin Tarantino while salsa dancing and he was an a**hole.

I just read 331 of the comments and am taking a break to add my celebrity story before going back to read the rest. Hope your daughter and Dorothy Barker are/will be okay. In 1976 or 1977, Linda Ronstadt released Hasten Down the Wind. She was a mid level celebrity when she started the tour but a huge one at the end of it. My boyfriend at the time was doing the lights for her tour. I got to go to a rehearsal at SMU which was way cool. I didn’t meet her then but being there was like a private concert. When the tour ended, there was a big party for the band and the crew and I got to go. I was introduced to her and then wandered off. Wound her up spending most of the party with her guitarist Waddy Wachtel and her bass player At one point during the evening my boyfriend was talking with her and she told him I was cute. She was wearing an actual Cub Scout uniform at the time.

I spent a whole hour with Ranbow Rowell when she visited our school! It was the best day ever. I also at Lou Ferrigno (the Incredible Hulk), and sold t-shirts to Ricki Lake. But woozy kids and pups are the worst. Get better soon x

Got lost in Greenwich Village. I was walking round a bend, trying to figure out where the heck I was exactly, when I saw a singer singing away in font of a theater. As I got closer, I saw people taking opictures. As I walked on by, still clueless as to my direction, I realized the singer was Carly Simon.

I met Eddie Izard once after a show. He was tiny and he was kicking ass in a corset and HIGH heels. After totally geeking out to a clearly bored Eddie Izzard, I turned to leave and someone brushed past me. I looked up to see Nathan Lane! I immediately exclaimed oh my god! You’re Nathan Lane! He turned around, gave me the nastiest look and continued to hurry on down the corridor. He clearly was hoping not to be recognized and I outed him…

Wow! What a lot of celebrity experiences. I had trouble reaching the end to post and I’m looking forward to going back to read all of your stories. I’ve had a few myself but one of my faves was years ago when a friend who worked for Johnny Carson got a group of us tickets to a filming of the Tonight Show. Due to strange circumstances getting a bunch of 20-somethings to the studio, we were too late to go in. We were so bummed and sat in the lobby listening to the laughter……when George Carlin!!!!!! walked out and joined us. He was so nice, chatting and trying out his monologue on us! We were in stitches of course, laughing so hard an intern was sent out to quiet us down! At that point Mr Carlin said he had to go on soon and needed to step out and “grease an axle” wink wink and he’d ask us to join him but would be asking for trouble. It’s the only time I’ve been so happy to be too late to see a show.
And BTW Dorothy Barker is the cutest little Quasimodo EVER! Get well little angel!

My above-the-line TV friends had friends on “Mad TV” so one night we went to a taping. I met several people, one who was castmember Mary Scheer. She was pregnant and a bit tired and was talking about how people were always wanting to touch her. We started riffing on our imaginary future invention, “The Pregnancy Taser” and it built up as she started doing more voices and was hilarious. But I think my friends wondered what the hell was wrong with me, as I was not being cool. I’d thought I was fine, but they didn’t invite me anywhere again.

I saw Tom Green in West Edmonton Mall, he was coming out of a Starbucks and I looked up and made eye contact with him, my brain being my brain goes;That’s Tom Green and I pause in my step. He paused as well seeing me recognize him, I saw a flash of ‘prep for the fan interaction’ cross his face but being the socialphobe I am and not wanting to be a bother I just gave him a smile and a nod and carried on with my errands.

I saw Cher twice in one month. The first time was at an antiques/vintage venue. I kept looking at her thinking “Wow, that looks like Cher” but she was dressed in very wrecked, taking-out-the-garbage clothes and I kept second-guessing myself as she kept her head down and hid behind her long hair. The next time I was sure of it, mainly because I was in the Pacific Design Center (the Blue Whale) and an elfin person came shrieking into the particular designer’s room we were in, squealing “Cher’s coming! Cher’s coming!” and sure enough, there she was, all glammed up, cowboy hat and boots and big jewelry with a half-dozen men hanging around her. Must’ve been redecorating a house.